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Martha Alice Ekenberg of Lynden, WA, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 11, 2007 surrounded by loved ones. The eldest of five children, Martha was born in Chicago on June 18, 1926, to Edward and Alvene Custin. She attended Hyde Park High School, where her classmates included Mel Torme and Steve Allen. In 1950, she married Roland Ekenberg. Ten years later, Martha, Roland, and their four children had moved to Albuquerque and made a new home there. The two were avid gardeners, surrounding their house with beautifully crafted flower beds. They loved to travel, and took the family throughout the back roads of the Southwest for camping, hiking and fishing. Later travels took them as far away as Las Vegas, New England, and British Columbia. Roland passed away in 2001; three years later, Martha left New Mexico and moved to Washington State. She quickly made it her home, and made friends of her neighbors. She loved nothing better than meeting for coffee or breakfast in her town's bakeries and cafes. She took on her new surroundings with relish, but never lost her special affection for the cuisine, culture, and art of the Southwest. All her life, Martha enjoyed hunting for antiques. She had a special love of handmade dolls, collecting Ndebele characters from Africa and Hopi Kachina figures from the Southwest. She dug up handsome first editions of books; Martha loved to read about subjects as various as women in the American West, maritime exploration, and the lives of Ernest Hemingway and Willa Cather. She found beautiful clocks of all shapes and sizes. Her home was always carefully and lovingly arranged, displaying the treasures she had an amazing knack for discovering. Martha gave the same sort of care and attention to the lives of her loved ones, who will miss her greatly. She is survived by her children: Ellen Dooley and husband Thomas M., of Ferndale, WA; daughter-in-law Dianne Ekenberg, of Colorado Springs, CO; William Ekenberg and wife Jill, of Littleton, CO; and Dan Ekenberg, of Boise, ID. Martha leaves behind seven grandchildren: Michael A. Dooley, of Brooklyn, NY; Christopher Dooley, of Ferndale; Travis Ekenberg and wife, Jaclyn, of Colorado Springs; Nathan Ekenberg and wife, Alyssa, of Colorado Springs; Chelsey Ringler and husband, Brandon, of Fairview Heights, IL; Mackenzie Ekenberg, of Littleton; and Nicholas Ekenberg, of Boise. She was blessed with two great-granddaughters: Breck Ekenberg and Aslyn Ekenberg, both of Colorado Springs. In addition, she is survived by her sister Darlene Varnes and her husband John, of Whitewater, WI. She was preceded in death by Roland, her husband of fifty-one years, and their son, Robert Ekenberg. At Martha's request, no service will be held; there will be a celebration of her life at a later date.
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