Martha Lorraine Abbas, 81, passed away Monday, December 14, 2020 at Urbandale Health Care Center in Urbandale, IA.
A private graveside service will be held for the family, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Memorials and tributes may be posted at the Legacy.com site.
Martha was born October 10, 1939 to Ruth and Charles Brodrick in Marquette, Michigan. She grew up in Des Moines, IA graduating from North High School in 1957.
Martha married Dale Lee Abbas in Des Moines, IA on October 20, 1957. To that union were born three children: Julie, Michael and Jeffrey. While Dale was in the Air Force they lived at the base in Ardmore, OK and Goldsboro, NC. Following Dale’s discharge from the service they moved back to Des Moines where she worked in the banking field as a secretary and later in many community service related positions including: National Kidney Foundation, United Methodist Church secretary and Polk County Department of Child Care Resources.
Martha was very active in the United Methodist Church and taught Sunday school. She was also an active member of Al-Anon. She loved traveling, crocheting, genealogy, computer games, watching NASCAR with her husband (Jeff Gordon was her favorite!) and caring for her cats. She was a very giving and loving person and provided the funds for an elevator at a church in need and volunteered for the Cancer Society of Iowa and Hospice of Iowa crocheting dozens of blankets for Hospice patients. Her legacy is that she truly demonstrated the act of unconditional love. Her general outlook on good or bad things that happened was “c'est la vie!” (That’s life!).
Surviving are her two sons, Michael (Edina) of Cordova, TN, and Jeffrey (Haruhi) of Iowa City, IA; seven granddaughters, Ilana Dennis of Barstow, CA, Jessie Dennis of Des Moines, Alyssa and Elise Abbas of Memphis, TN, Tajma Hubijer of Memphis, TN and Hayley and Akane Abbas of Iowa City, IA; seven great-grandchildren, Caitlyn, Anthony, Ashly, Kassidy and Autumn of Barstow, CA, Lucy and Lex of Des Moines, IA.
She was preceded in death by her husband Dale in 2004; her parents; step mother, Frances Brodrick; brother, Harry Brodrick; daughter, Julie Long; step-sister, Lynn Brodrick; and a granddaughter, Kecia Marie Abbas.
