Martha Pettit's Obituary
Martha Pettit resident of San Leandro, CA passed away peacefully on May 27, 2011. She was born in Oakland on August 8, 1918 and was the second eldest in her family of four girls and one boy. She graduated from Castlemont High School in Oakland and in 1941, she married her husband of over 50 years, Mark Allen Pettit. She raised their two children, Fay Wessenberg and Mark Jr., in Oakland and was a loving and patient mother. Throughout her life, she was known for her exceptional sewing and made all of her and Fay’s clothing and much of her sisters’ and nieces’ clothing. Mark remembers how all the girls in the family would troop in and out of the house in the fall for their holiday dress fittings. She continued sewing into her early 80s, making doll clothes and matching dresses for her granddaughter, Kari Gregory. She loved watching Fay play competitive tennis and took her by bus to many tournaments all over Northern California. She went on to watch her grandsons, Kurt and Greg Wessenberg and John Pettit, play and always enjoyed following professional tennis. One of her many tennis highlights was watching John win the Northern California Boys’ Tennis Championship on the same court in Berkeley where her daughter had won the same tournament for the girls 43 years before. She served as President of the East Bay Automotive Machinists Lodge and held a number of other positions in the organization. Family was paramount in Martha’s life. She greatly enjoyed large family get togethers and always looked forward to the next one, especially ones involving her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Kayla, Hayley and Dylan Gregory. Martha is preceded in death by her husband Mark, loving sisters and brother, Elsa Lapierre, Helen Welsh and Frank Shrade, and niece, Carol Olimpia. Martha is survived by Fay and Mark, her son-in-law, Karl Wessenberg, her daughter-in-law, Wendy Pettit, Kurt, Greg, Kari, John, Kayla, Hayley and Dylan, her sister, Virginia Sloan, and several nieces, nephews and their children and grandchildren. The family would like to acknowledge the Carlton Plaza staff, Dr. Stephen Rosenthal and the staff of San Leandro Hospital for their kind and consistent care and support. A special thanks to her niece Kristen Westphal and Kristen’s husband Bob for their constant support during her last days. Martha will be greatly missed by all. A celebration of Martha’s life will be held on June 4, 3:00pm at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, California. You may send any remembrances to the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California or a charity of your choice.
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