DANVILLE – Martha Louise (Mickley) Stutz, 82, left this earth for the journey to Heaven on Feb. 13, 2021. She was able to be in her farmhouse, surrounded by her loving family, after a long battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
She was born to Ralph S. and Clara L. (Gardner) Mickley on Nov. 5, 1938. As the seventh child of a labor-enduring large family, Martha learned and mastered many skills, which she passed down to her four sons and grandchildren. Her family found security and purpose together, with her as the center beacon.
As a 1956 graduate of Danville High School, Martha was a member of The National Honor Society and Future Homemakers of America, having served as treasurer. She was a member of the St. Luke Catholic Church in Danville, having served as Eucharistic Minister, member of the PCCW, RICA, Bible study and choir participant who sang eloquently to her heart’s content. She was a faith-filled woman to admire. She loved daily meditations and the Holy Rosary.
As a loving mother, she — along with her husband Joe — taught their sons how to work together and stay together with an unwavering willingness to get the work done first and reap the rewards later. Martha performed throughout her life with true grit and strong work ethics, which her descendants carry on today.
Martha was very proud of her grandchildren, Ashley, Cassie, Benjamin, Ryan, Jacob, Lynn and Jason, having praised their many accomplishments. She instilled in them the same love of family, faith and friends that she did her sons. As an avid sports fan, she tried not to miss any of her grandchildren’s games and shared her love of the Danville Blue Devils and The Ohio State Buckeyes. If you’ve been blessed to take a seat at her kitchen- or dining table, you have been witness to not only her delicious meals but a central location to relax, decompress, commiserate, celebrate, agree to disagree, laugh, cry, grieve and respect her “If you’re here, you’re family” attitude. Many have tasted — even requested — her potato salad, meatloaf, ham loaf, spare ribs, potatoes of any kind ... and perhaps no one could beat her sausage gravy.
By being the only woman on the farm, you know she never stopped tending to the demands placed on her by day’s end, only to wake up the next day and start all over again. From bottle-feeding calves, tending garden and canning the many harvested vegetables, tossing hay bales, butchering deer, to keeping house and managing the books of the dairy farm, Martha’s days were busy and rewarding. She loved a challenge of any kind, could drive farm equipment, fix anything, and yet be so straightforward that you would leave to ponder her wise “food for thought.”
She will be deeply missed by her sons, Gregory C. (Diane) Stutz, Jeffrey A. (Janet) Stutz, Eric J. (Brenda) Stutz and Aaron P. (Jennifer) Stutz; seven grandchildren; and a brother, Leo (Teresa) Mickley — all of Danville; as well as several nieces and nephews; in-laws; cousins; and special friends, Mariam Lyons and Connie Jordan.
Martha was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Joseph C. Stutz Jr.; brothers, William, Louis, Earl, Glen, Rodney and Harold Mickley; and a sister, Ruth Ann Herbert.
Special thanks to her most recent physician team: oncologist Dr. Scott Blair, Dr. G. Stephen Vincent, Dr. Michael Heuman and Dr. Brent Nimeth. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention her many nurses who gave excellent care throughout the years of her cancer fight. A special thanks to Elaine Siekkinen of Heartland Hospice, who came to the house in our time of need.
Friends will be received at the St. Luke Church from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18 , as well as one hour prior to Mass at 1 p.m. on Friday, with Fr. Homer Blubaugh as Celebrant. Burial will be in St. Luke Cemetery. All COVID-19 protocols will be observed inside the church, including reduced seating. The Fischer Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Condolences can be shared at fischerfuneralhome.com, where a livestream of the service will be available, as well as the Fischer Funeral Home-Danville Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of Martha’s charities: St. Jude, at stjude.org or at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105; the St. Luke Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box P, Danville, OH 43014; or to Heartland Hospice, 6500 Busch Blvd., Suite 210, Columbus, OH 43229.
