Timothy Kavanaugh

Martha Kavanaugh

Martha Mae Pirtle Kavanaugh
December 03, 1929 - September 06, 2022
(the first bio/obit, below, was composed by Bill Kavanaugh II, Martha's fourth-born son)
Our Mother, Martha Mae Pirtle Kavanaugh, was born in Chariton, Iowa in December of 1929. After graduating from Boise (Idaho) High School in 1947, she moved to San Francisco. While living and working in "The City", she met San Francisco native Bill Kavanaugh. They married in 1954, moved to San Jose and raised 5 sons, Kevin, Timothy, Dennis, William II and Thomas. I've always been boastful of her ability to accurately keep a baseball score book. A skill she perfected while watching hundreds of little league baseball games. And I do mean "hundreds". Among many other skills my mother possessed was that she was a wonderful tailor. While those skills were called upon ‘mostly to replace buttons on school uniform shirts and patches on our knees’, she never passed on the opportunity to make dresses for her nieces, Jeannette and Denise. This was when I first heard the phrase "a labor of love". Like many others born into the Great Depression, my mother was no stranger to adversity. But she never let a challenge define her. She was never one to "shirk a task" or assign blame in order to deflect responsibility. She placed a high value on the willingness to work hard. To her, it was the greatest good. And, conversely, laziness and sloth were two of the worst sins. Time wasted, to her, was a criminal offense. Mom could always be counted on to be supportive and non-judgmental, but, above all else, she was honest. If you weren't ready to hear the absolute truth, you didn't ask. And usually, it came whether you asked or not. She always made our friends feel welcome. She loved having a full house and there was always room for one more. She loved being a mother and a homemaker and found great satisfaction in it. And no one was better at it. And when it came to friends, you could do no better than our mother. Our Mom made and kept good, close friends. And she kept them forever. When she was in her 80's she made a trip back to the Boise area to visit good friends she made 60 years earlier. She is survived by her five sons, Kevin and his wife Terri, Tim and his partner Julie, Dennis and his wife Dawn, Bill and his wife Tori, and Tom and his wife Diane. She had many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is also survived by her nephew Michael (Paula) in Concord, niece Jeannette (Jim) in San Francisco, niece Denise in Redwood City and her nieces from the Midwest, Diana (Iowa) and Deb (Alabama).
(the second bio/obit, below, was composed by Kevin Kavanaugh, Martha's first-born son)
Martha Mae (Pirtle) Kavanaugh was born in Chariton, Iowa on December 3, 1929.  She was raised in Des Moines, and graduated from high school in Boise, Idaho.  A few years later, she found herself in San Francisco, Ca., renting a room in the Ingleside district, while working downtown as a secretary.  She processed an application from a young man she called "the cutest guy in the room", and very soon they were dating.  That guy, Bill Kavanaugh, turned out to be the love of her life, and she followed him back to Ohio when the company transferred him to Cleveland.  They got married in 1954, and soon after were parents.  One winter in northern Ohio was all Bill could stand, so they packed up their stuff and moved back to California, eventually finding their way to the Santa Clara valley.  She raised 5 sons, and became quite familiar with baseball, football, basketball, soccer, track and rock-n-roll music.  She was an accomplished seamstress, doing numerous alteration jobs for friends and family.  She was an exemplary employee, always the most dependable worker on any job she had. Her Christmas cookies became the stuff of legend.  She loved dancing with Bill, listening to live jazz at Mountain Winery, doting on her grandchildren (and great-grandchildren), celebrating the Christmas season and, especially, Santa Claus!  She made a whole lot of friends during her time on this earth, and those friendships she cherished and nurtured.  Dad always said the party started as soon as she entered the room.  She had a strong moral compass, a solid work ethic and she loved to have a good time.  We'll miss you, Marty, but we've got wonderful memories to cherish from a life well-lived.  We know you're having a blast with Dad and all your old pals. Sláinte!

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Martha Kavanaugh Obituary | Keeper Memorials