Martha O. McRill

  Martha Orene McRill died quietly at EIRMC in Idaho Falls, Idaho on Friday, March 10, 2017.  She was a lifelong resident of Twin Falls, Idaho, but had been residing at Lincoln Court Assisted Living in Idaho Falls since 2010.

  She was a beloved wife, mother, great, great-great, and great-great-great grandmother.  Her life was guided by her faith and her love of family.

  Martha Orene Garlock was born on March 21, 1921 in Richfield, Idaho to Leonil William Garlock and Orene Phillips McMahon Garlock. She attended 1st through 3rd grade in Longview, Washington and then attended school through her high school graduation in 1939 in Richfield, Idaho. Unable to attend college, she returned to Richfield HS where she took additional classes for another year.  

  She married Orson Gilbert McRill, Jr on September 22, 1940 in a double wedding with her sister Ava Lou at their parents’ home in Gooding, Idaho. The minister mixed up the names and tried to marry each of the sisters to the wrong groom.

  In 1941, they moved to Portland, Oregon where Gilbert worked in the shipyards until he joined the Army Air Corps in December 1943. Martha and daughter, Phyllis joined him in Ardmore, Oklahoma.  In 1946, after Gilbert was discharged, they returned to Twin Falls, living just around the corner from Gilbert’s parents.  

  Martha assisted Gilbert by helping with the books of the McRill’s Auto Repair and later the Studebaker dealership owned by Gilbert, his father and his brother Jack until Studebaker went out of business in 1964.

  Beginning in 1966, the family moved for Gilbert’s job to Kellogg, Lewiston, Salem, Oregon and Boise, moving back to Twin Falls in 1971.  Martha was always able to quickly make a home for her family in each of these moves and always remained positive.  A favorite saying as the U-Haul was finally loaded and the family drove to their next home was “Well, we are off on another great adventure.”

  Upon returning to Twin Falls in 1971, Martha went to work for the Twin Falls County Assessor’s office in the license plate division which she later managed until her retirement.  

  Martha loved to sing.  She was a member of the Methodist Church Choir for many years and participated in the chorus of several early Magic Valley Dilittantes productions including Kiss Me Kate and Brigadoon. At Lincoln Court, she was a favorite at the church services and sing-alongs because she had a beautiful voice and knew all the words.

  Martha and Gilbert were been members of the current Christian Center Foursquare Church in Twin Falls since it was first organized as Christian Center in 1971.  They participated in the same small group Bible study for over 40 years.

  Some favorite family memories of all the children were Sunday drives in the country to pick asparagus or visit friends, Sunday picnic breakfasts down in the canyon at Twin Falls Park, or just sitting in the grandparent’s house listening to great conversations between parents and grandparents.

Martha enjoyed camping, RVing, and fishing. Many family get-togethers and reunions were associated with camping. She enjoyed doing crossword and word-find puzzles and  was able to work her puzzles until few months prior to her death.

  Martha loved to sing.  She was a member of the Methodist Church Choir for many years and participated in the chorus of several early Magic Valley Dilittantes productions including Kiss Me Kate and Brigadoon. At Lincoln Court, she was a favorite at the church services and sing-alongs because she had a beautiful voice and knew all the words.

  Martha was married to Gilbert for 69 years before he died in 2010. They had four children; Mary Lou (Eugene) Nosco from Nevada, Iowa and Ann McRill from Idaho Falls.  Phyllis (Adrian) Stallings, from Idaho Falls who died in 2014 and son Lee McRill aka Michael Kenneth Vernon who died in Portland, Oregon in 1996 from complications of AIDS.  She has eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, and one great-great-great grandchild.

  Martha was preceded in in death by her parents, all four of her siblings (Thomas, Gordon, Ava Lou and Richard), son, Michael Kenneth Vernon, and daughter Phyllis Stallings.

A Memorial Service for Martha will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17th at the Parkes Funeral Hone located at 2551 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls, Idaho. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.magicvalleyfuneralhome.com.