Freida Jeanette (Luckan) Martin, 88, died Saturday, August 21, 2021, at her home in rural Douglas County.
Freida was born August 31, 1932, in Lawrence to parents Otto Emil Luckan and Bertha May (Shaffer) Luckan. She attended the Pleasant Valley one-room school house. She was an active member of 4-H and loved growing up on a farm. She graduated from Liberty Memorial High School in 1950.
Freida worked at Barteldes Seed Co. as a bookkeeper for seven years and after marrying, eventually left work to join her husband stationed in the U.S. Army. Freida married Kenneth Martin of Welda, Kansas on Sept. 5, 1956. They would have celebrated 65 years of marriage this year.
After military life, they resumed residence in Lawrence in 1960 and she became a homemaker raising three children. In 1971, they moved to rural Douglas County and returned to farm life, country grade school, and 4-H programs for the family. Later, as the children got older, she started back to work as a cook at the Vinland country grade school. She loved cooking. In retirement she and her husband did some traveling in other states and a trip to Canada.
She was very involved with making homemade chicken noodle dinners for the Vinland Fair, bake sales at the church and homemade noodles for the church. She was an active member for 59 years in the Family Community Education (formerly EHU), serving at the local and county levels, and valued their goals of continuing to educate ourselves and those in the community around us.
She is survived by her husband Kenneth Martin of the home, a son Otto Martin (Lisa Bilson) of Lawrence, two daughters, Anita (Martin) Rapp (Craig) of Minnesota, and Kendra Martin of the home, grandchildren Megan Judd (Chris) of Ohio, David Martin of Lawrence, Brandon Martin (Cassie) of Minnesota, and Nicholas Martin of Minnesota, one sister, Charlene (Luckan) Winter of Lecompton, and many nieces and nephews.
The family suggests memorial contributions to Harvester’s, or the American Cancer Society, in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana St., Lawrence, KS, 66044. Online condolences may be sent at rumsey-yost.com
A celebration of Freida’s life will be held Wednesday, September 1, at 2 pm at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home. A visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Private family inurnment will follow the service. Friends are invited to join the family following the service for refreshments at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1245 New Hampshire St., Lawrence.