Martha Furr Budke

Martha Furr Budke, born July 5, 1926 in Indianapolis, IN passed away peacefully Thursday March 6, 2014 at McGraw Hospice, Jacksonville, FL. Martha was the daughter of Russell and Ina Mae (Butcher) Furr. She was raised on her Great Grandparents farm, John & Mary (Snyder) Furr that has been in the family since 1851. She graduated from Pike Township HS in 1944 where she played the Saxophone in the school band, sang in the Sunrise Choir and played piano. She graduated in 1946 from Stephens College, Columbia, MO with a degree in Music & Voice and attended University of Missouri, Columbia. In the summer of 1946, she went to Schroon Lake, NY in the Adirondacks to be trained by John Seagle at the Seagle Music Colony. She performed in three operas that summer, Werther, The Mikado and Solomon and Balkis. She was a long time active member of Sigma Alpha Iota Music Sorority and Kappa Kappa Gamma for 65 years . She married William Phelan Budke, Sr in 1947 and had 3 children,William Phelan Budke, Jr (Kathryn Kiel)(both deceased), Louis Henry Budke, III (deceased) and daughter, Allison Budke Weiland, Jacksonville, FL. During her lifetime, Martha sang at weddings and funerals, taught piano and performed in plays. She was a great seamstress, making outfits for her family, costumes for plays and performances and taught her daughter how to sew. In St Louis, in 1975, she started her own real estate company called American Heritage Real Estate and built condominiums and housing subdivisions. She was a long time member of Westborough Country Club where she was very involved in golf and all areas of the swim team for almost 20 years. She never complained about driving her daughter to year round swim practice at 5:30am for several years before school and her working. At Webster Groves Christian Church, she sang in the choir for over 30 years. In 1965, she was Mary in the play “Little Mary Sunshine” at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic School. Martha lost her husband Bill, soul mate, and constant companion October 15 ^th after 66 years of marriage. She was lost without him as they took great care of each other for many years. They moved to Jacksonville, FL in 1989 to retire and get out of the cold, followed their daughter’s family who had just relocated there. In Jacksonville, she belonged to Deerwood Country Club for over 20 years. She played golf for several years until her health did not allow her to. She was a nanny for many years for her two grandchildren while her daughter worked. She enjoyed the Jacksonville Symphony POPs and Coffee Series Concerts and was very active in the Deerwood Garden Circle and Southside Newcomers. At Holy Family Catholic Church, for several years she served as CCW President, Vice-President, Martha Committee and Bereavement Committees. They lived the last several years at The Carriage Club and most recently Sunrise Assisted Living. She is survived by one sister, Barbara Furr Moorman, Evansville, IN.  Six grandchildren Timothy Weiland, New York City, and Page (Travis) Maton of Jacksonville, FL. Four grandchildren from St Louis, Russell (Lorraine) Budke, Darla Grzeskowiak, Marta Umphrey and Bradley Budke, and great grandchildren.

A funeral mass will be held in Jacksonville, FL at Holy Family Catholic Church on Friday April 25, 2014 at 10:30m. Final resting will be with her husband, Bill at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO this summer. Donations may be made to Community Hospice of NE Florida, 4266 Sunbeam Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32257 or a charity of your choice.