Martha Louise Owens Obituary (1937 - 2020)

Martha Louise "Mrs. C." Owens, 82, of El Paso, Minonk, and Indian Wells, CA, passed away Friday January 31, 2020, 4:00 am at St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. Visitation will be Tuesday, February 4, 2020 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Calvert-Johnson & Froelich Memorial Home, Minonk. Funeral services will be Wednesday at 10:30 am at the memorial home. Rev. Kim Burke will officiate. Burial will follow at Minonk TWP Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the charity of the donors' choice. Martha was born May 11, 1937 in Normal, IL to John A. and Mary Lita (Stoddard) Eikenmeyer. She married James Cunningham on October 3, 1965 at the Presbyterian Church, Minonk. He preceded her in death in May 2003. She also married James L. Owens. He also preceded her in death. Surviving are her children: Michael (Lisa) Cunningham of El Paso, Jeremy (Julie) Cunningham of Bloomington and Meredith (Jeff) Spalding of Rochester, nine grandchildren, four great grandchildren and one brother, John S. (Carolyn) Eikenmeyer of Thousand Oaks, CA. Her parents and one sister, Janice Teas, preceded her in death. Martha was educated in Minonk-Dana Schools and Ferry Hall Academy in Lake Forest. She also attended several universities. She graduated from the University of Illinois and Illinois State University, with her Masters in English. She devoted her life to teaching English at M-D-R/ Fieldcrest High School for over 30 years. After retirement she moved to California and continued teaching as a substitute teacher and helping students obtain their GED's. Some of her other ventures in life were working as a manager at Kohl's for several years and as a reporter for The Pantagraph and Minonk News Dispatch. She was very active in several organizations, especially the U of I Alumni association. She was an avid quilter, making many for her family. She was also a lover of trivia and a voracious reader.