Martha Laksura (Heym) Kistemaker's Obituary
Martha Laksura (Heym) Kistemaker, 89, passed away peacefully February 7, 2016 at home in Strongsville, Ohio. Martha’s loving, cheerful disposition and warm friendship will be missed by many.
She was born on February 6, 1927 to Alma May Hyde Heym and William Heym in Cleveland Ohio, who raised six children. Her father worked for the Park Board now known as Cleveland Metroparks.
The greatest love of Martha’s life was her husband of 65 years, Clarence J. Kistemaker. Their first date was at the Junior-Senior Prom at Brooklyn High School in 1945, their graduation year at BHS. They performed in the senior play. Martha and Clarence were married in Chula Vista, California, on July 25, 1951, when Clarence was in his 2nd Enlistment with the US Navy stationed in San Diego on the Twinning DD540. They raised three daughters, and enjoyed time
with three grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Martha began primary school at Butternut Ridge School in North Olmsted, Ohio. At 10, she attended Brooklyn Village School. At BHS, Martha served as Captain of the Girls Basketball Team and member of Student Council for four years. She excelled in English, Latin, and College Prep studies, and wrote for the student newspaper.
She attended Dyke College (now David Meyers College), and enjoyed an early career in retail, business, and banking at Korner and Woods Bookstore, Zimmermann, City Loan, and Chevrolet in greater Cleveland. Her professional experiences prepared her to wear many hats, including as partner, office manager, and bookkeeper with a family business until she retired. Later, she and
Clarence enjoyed warmer climes as snowbirds on the West Coast of Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where they loved to walk beaches, swim, collect shells, and spend time with their family, extended family and friends. Martha often served her local precinct on Election Days.
Martha’s surviving family members are her husband Clarence J. Kistemaker; daughters Dr. Debra Piot, PhD, and her husband John Piot, Gale Kistemaker, MS, and Sharon Kistemaker, MS; granddaughter Sarah Mangano, her husband, Dr. Drew Mangano, DO, and their daughter and great-granddaughter, Arya; grandsons Billy Renton and Mathew Renton. Surviving siblings are Carl Heym and Gladys Skubovious Baker. Her parents and siblings Gloria Heym, William Heym,
and Constance Michnay predeceased her. There are also many loved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, great-grandnephews, and cousins.
Committal services will be held at 12 noon, Monday, February 15, 2016, at Sunset Chapel, 6245 Columbia Rd., North Olmsted, OH. Interment at Sunset Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: Brooklyn Historical Society & Museum, 4442 Ridge Road, PO Box 44422, Brooklyn OH 44144-0422.
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