Martha MacIlvaine Favreau passed away peacefully, surrounded by members of her family, on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009, after a brief battle with cancer. She was 81.

Martha was born Aug. 12, 1928, in Sioux Falls, S.D., the middle of three children to E. Sherwood and Doris Miller. Her childhood was devoted to love and care of horses. She attended the University of Minnesota where she received a bachelor of science degree in public health nursing. Her first nursing job found her in Florida, a real change of the pace from the Midwest. MarthaÕs nursing career extended from the rough-and-tumble Mission Emergency at San Francisco General to the quiet grace of Piedmont Gardens. She was a proud, devoted caregiver.

In 1953, she moved to San Francisco where she worked as a public health nurse for the city and county of San Francisco. She married James A. MacIlvaine and had two sons, Sam and James Jr. After a short stay in Southern California, they settled in Piedmont (SF Bay Area) for almost 30 years. Upon JamesÕ death in 1990, Martha moved to Moraga and finally Davis, where she met Romeo Favreau. Romeo and Martha were married Nov. 28, 2003, and remained in Davis in their cottage at the University Retirement Community.

Her time in Davis was extremely satisfying, as she was warmly welcomed into the Favreau clan of five children and 10 grandchildren. Their annual trips to Donner Lake each summer and many family dinners in Davis were favorite memories. Romeo and Martha traveled a great deal, including excursions to Austria, New Zealand, Sweden and a biking excursion in France. Her true passion was being outdoors, whether it was playing tennis, cross-country skiing, hiking on Mount Tamalpais or in her beloved Sierra. She also enjoyed a variety of performing and visual arts, from the opera and ballet to a wide variety of galleries and museums.

Martha was a friend to all she met, loving wife, mother, sister and grandmother, always offering a helping hand. She is survived by her beloved Romeo; her two sons, Sam and James Jr.; brother, Franklin Miller; sister, Elizabeth Clark; two granddaughters, Brenna Gustafson and Kelsey MacIlvaine; and son-in-law, Andrew Gustafson; along with a large circle of dear friends and colleagues.

A celebration of MarthaÕs life will be held at St. JohnÕs Episcopal Church, 1707 Gouldin Road, Oakland. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the Sierra Club.

Comments

comments