Obituary of Martha Ann Altstadt

Mom and Dad are together again, this time in Heaven. She passed away at home on April 10th, just days after learning she had cancer. Born September 12, 1931, Mom was the second of Paul and Vera Miller's five children. She joined older brother Paul Jr. and later came brothers Michael and Joseph followed by sister Mary Susan. The family grew up in Portland's Garthwick neighborhood surrounded by close friends and relatives. They spent much time at nearby Waverly Country Club where Mom excelled on the links. As a teenager, she played in the finals of the Oregon Amateur Championship. She even got a hole-in-one on Waverly's 17th hole - no small feat! Mom and her family picked berries from vines passed down from generation to generation. She liked baking cookies and spending summers at the family beach house in Lincoln City. Mom attended St. Agatha Catholic School and Holy Child Academy. She went on to Dominican College in California and Marylhurst University in Portland, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. Mom taught grade school in Portland and worked at the family-owned mill, Oregon Woodwork, Ltd. She then started at First National Bank where she not only found a job but the love of her life, our dad Robert (Bob) Altstadt. Dad asked the "new girl" to the company Christmas party. Mom so dazzled Dad on that date that he went home and told his mother this was the woman he would marry. Unfortunately, Dad forgot to get Mom's phone number. He just couldn't wait the two days until he would see her at work again, so he picked up the phonebook and started calling every Miller in the book. As you can imagine, there were quite a few! Mom and Dad married on October 10th, 1959 and ten months later came daughter Mary (Ginny). Less than a year passed when second daughter Susan was born. Son Paul and daughters Elizabeth (Libby) and Roberta followed. Mom was the ultimate mother! She turned birthdays into major celebrations, greeted us after school with homemade Tollhouse cookies or brownies, nurtured our imaginations with arts and crafts and entertained us with her quirky wit. She decorated for every holiday, led us in prayers as we set out on road trips and created a home where our childhood friends were always welcome, especially the neighbor boy Phillip who she always considered a "second son." We cherished our vacations at the beach cabin in Seaside. Mom would gather us up, along with blankets, food and toys and off we would walk to the ocean. She would sit in the sun - or under the clouds because it was the Oregon Coast after all - as we kids dug in the sand and Paul and Phillip disappearred on some exploration. One time the fog rolled in quickly and Mom blew her whistle over and over until the boys found their way back to us. Mom also had a keen understanding about the ocean and always knew when the bigger waves would be rolling in. She would call out "7th wave" warnings so we run away from the water. Back at the cabin, I often stretched out on the couch with mom for an evening nap as Dad took the rest of the kids to the amusement rides near the Turnaround. Mom loved to nap, something we all now understand and cherish. She also installed a love of sweets in us, including the s'mores we would make as we roasted marshmallows in the cabin's big stone fireplace. After we grew up, Mom and Dad still enjoyed their getaways to the beach, this time to Washington's Long Beach Peninsula. They would dine at The Ark or the Shoalwater and then head back to the cabin to watch their favorite video again, "Dirty Dancing." Mom loved to be outside. She spent many an hour digging in the garden, planting flowers, picking up helicopters (those seed pods that fall from the large Maple trees), even edging the lawn by hand with scissors to get a straighter cut. Mom worked as a teller at U.S. Bank Eastport Plaza for more than 30 years. She loved interacting with and helping her customers, many of whom passed up their turn in line waiting for her window to open up. Still, nothing out shined her role as mother and as Granny. She was so proud of her six grandchildren and loved time spent with them. She enjoyed filling the living room up with toys for their visits and hearing about all their escapades and accomplishments. Mom was a strong woman - strong in faith, character and love. We will miss her dearly, but she will always be with us and we will always be with her. She is survived by her children, Roberta Altstadt, Ginny Deppa (Kevin), Susan Barrows (Richard), Paul Altstadt (Stephanie), Libby Moore; brother Dr. Michael Miller; sister M. Susan Beal; and grandchildren Lt. Robert Deppa (Jenny), Andy Deppa, Katie Barrows, Charlie Barrows, Jeremy Altstadt and Zachary Altstadt. She was preceded in death by Dad, her brothers Joseph and Paul Miller, and son-in-law Eric Moore. Mom loved our dog Ernie, a three-legged rescue dog that brought a smile to her face even during her final days. Ernie came to us from the Oregon Humane Society last August. If you'd like to do something in memory of Mom, please make a donation in her name to the Oregon Humane Society. Service Information