Martha Alexander passed away peacefully in her sleep July 21 at her daughter’s Westport home where she resided the last 17 years of her life. She was 96.
Martha Elizabeth Makin was born July 3, 1919 in South Aberdeen to Finnish immigrant parents John & Elizabeth ‘Liisi’ (Hautala) Makin. She was the fifth of six children. She spent part of her childhood living in South Aberdeen in a house her father built on Perry Street and attended Washington School which was located at the current site of Five Star Motors. Her father was a carpenter and worked in a local mill while her mother was a homemaker. Since her mother never learned English and her father spoke just enough to get work, Martha’s first language was Finn. She learned English from her older brothers and sister who had learned the language in school.
Throughout her life, Martha’s younger sister Julia was her best friend, though they had a rocky start. Until Julia came along, Martha always got to sit on Momma’s lap, but when the new baby showed up, it took a young Martha a little time to warm up to this usurper. As they grew, the two girls banded together to survive their much older sister Irene and her stern ways of “bossing them around”. Their nicknames were ‘Mutt’ & ‘Jeff’ (Julia was ‘Jeff’) after a popular newspaper comic strip. Martha and Julia shared a bed and would sneak a few pieces of fudge (when available) in the middle of the night, eating some of it and hiding the rest under the bed for later hoping that their brothers wouldn’t find it and gobble the treat up.
Martha was one of the few women of her generation in her life circle that learned to drive a car. She was proud of that fact and throughout her driving career often picked up her sisters or sisters-in-law or friends to run their errands, go to church or the health club, or head to the casino to play keno or bingo. She was not a fast driver. In fact, she was stopped twice in a 30-mph zone for going too slow. She finally gave up her driver’s license at the age of 86. It was time, for her safety and everyone else’s, but she regretted that decision for the rest of her life. She missed a lot of the independence she had enjoyed for more than 70 years and a little bit of her spark was lost.
In 1940, Martha married the love of her life, Harvey Johnson. They lived in Aberdeen and had three children: Gail, Melody & Mike. Harvey was a commercial fisherman in the waters of Grays Harbor while Martha was a homemaker. In 1955, at the age of 36, Martha became a widow when Harvey and his boat were lost to the sea. It was a difficult time for the family. Martha was now the sole provider for three children with no insurance, no pension, and no welfare. In order to provide for her children, she went to work. Sometimes working up to three jobs at a time, she made sure her children had food to eat, clothes to wear and a bed to sleep in.
In 1960, Martha married Bob Alexander, a pulp cook at the Weyerhaeuser Cosmopolis Pulp Mill. They lived in Cosmopolis the first few years of their marriage in a home they built at the corner of Elizabeth & Burns Streets. The couple partnered up with another Weyerhaeuser couple, Ted & Dorothy Lindsey, and built several spec homes in Cosmopolis together for a few years. Martha swung a hammer with the best of ‘em and could be seen on the roof nailing down roofing when the time came.
In 1962, Martha & Bob welcomed the birth of a daughter. Unlike today, it was quite scandalous at that time for a woman over the age of 40 to be having a baby, but Martha did it. In fact, Lisa was born on Martha’s 43rd birthday. Barely six months later, Martha became a grandmother for the first time.
Martha & Bob relocated to Westport in 1967 and purchased the Sands Motel which Martha operated for the next 12 years while Bob commuted to Weyco daily. They made many new friendships at the motel, several of which continued for the rest of their lives. Martha handled the books, took reservations, and cleaned the units all while raising their youngest child. As Bob approached retirement, the couple sold the motel and moved back to Aberdeen in 1980, purchasing a mobile home in Leisure Manor on Lazy Lane.
Within five years of Bob’s Weyco retirement, Martha once again found herself a widow in 1988 when he succumbed to cancer. She had survived so much already: the Great Depression, the war years, losing her parents, two brothers, a stepson, her first husband & now her second. She persevered and built a new life for herself by immersing herself in her family & friends.
Martha always believed in strong education, working hard to send her daughters to college, though she herself never made it past the 8th grade. This is something she always regretted. So, in 1989 she signed up for classes and received her GED at the age of 70. Family and friends gathered to throw her a graduation party to celebrate this achievement.
In 1993, Martha was present at the birth of her first great-grandchild. In fact, when Ashley was born, there were four generations of Makin women in the birthing room: Martha, her daughter Gail, her granddaughter Denise and the new baby. Nearly 6 months later, Martha was once again in the delivery room to observe her youngest child give birth. In fact, the doctor handed the newborn over to Granny to be the first family member to hold the infant, even before Mom & Dad.
Martha acquired the nickname Granny during the 1980s from her granddaughter Sydney who lovingly bestowed the pet name on her in reference to a character from the Beverly Hillbillies. It stuck. For the rest of her life, to young and old alike, whether it be family and friends, or fellow spectators at the numerous sporting events she attended to watch her grandchildren participate, she was introduced and known as Granny.
In 1998, she sold her mobile home and moved in with her daughter and family in Westport. For several years, she helped get her youngest granddaughter and grandson to/from practices and sporting events, was there for them when they got off the bus in the afternoon and to fix them a snack. She was in heaven when they were still young enough to fight over who got to snuggle in Granny’s big bed with her and watch tv.
Time went on, Martha aged and her health deteriorated as she watched, one-by-one her siblings and friends pass away. She became the Matriarch of the family. Her momentous birthdays every five years beginning with her 75th could draw family members from near and far to celebrate. She was very close to her nieces and nephews. Family was the backbone of her life.
Martha had been proud of her Finnish heritage and was a member of the Finn Lodge (United Finnish Kaleva Brothers & Sisters Aberdeen Lodge #9). She could still talk Finn, even as the end neared, and missed having a good Finn conversation. Unlike a traditional Finn, she couldn’t stand coffee, lute fisk, or any boiled fish as well as many other hearty Finn dishes, but she loved to eat a good cardamom braid (known around her house as ‘Finn Biscuit’) or a warm pannukakku, both with lots of butter.
Granny is survived by her four children: Gail Engel (late Roger) of Richland, Melody Rose (Vic) of Brier, Mike Johnson (Deborah) of Grants Pass, and Lisa Benn (Dennis) of Westport; eight grandchildren: Denise Anderson (Ron), Sydney Engel, Christine LeVine (Shawn), Mike Johnson, Michelle Fox (Kevin), Justin Johnson (Casey), Jenny Benn and James Benn; seven great-grandchildren: Ashley Anderson, Wyatt LeVine, Cassie Bertholf, Josh Bertholf, Dominique Marcin, Jace Johnson, and Jordan Johnson; nieces Patty Bonjorni (Jess), Jacque Sidor, Cheryl Berber (Marco), Gail Ricciuti (Anthony) and Jan Anderson; and nephews Steve Sidor (Ginger) and Jon Sidor (Cheryl).
Granny was predeceased by her parents; her husbands: Harvey Johnson & Bob Alexander; brothers Alan ‘Bami’ Makin, Ralph Makin, and Oswald ‘Biffo’ Makin; sisters Irene McHugh and Julia Sidor; stepson Layne Alexander, niece Sally Sidor; and nephew Kenny Makin.
There will not be any service. The family will hold a private Celebration of Granny’s Life.
A message of condolence or of a memory can be sent to the family at www.fernhillfuneral.com
Arrangements are entrusted to Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, WA.

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