Skip to content

Martha Helen Falladown (née Walsh)

July 5, 2020

L9Q7U1T2-20200715161436
November 7, 1926 - July 5, 2020
Martha Helen Falladown (née Walsh) was born in the Wadena Hospital, Saskatchewan on November 7, 1926 to parents Isabella and John Walsh in the High Tor district, near Porcupine Plain. She had an older sister, Mary (Tom Rhodes) and an older brother, Edward (Bev) and she attended a one room school in High Tor that still stands today.
Martha enjoyed school and often talked about the track meets, which were a favourite activity. After retirement, she joined many other seniors in a reunion at the old school house that now carries a plaque and is a museum piece. She stayed in touch with close friends, even when they moved to other areas of the country. While she acknowledged the difficulties of growing up on the farm during the depression, she often shared very happy memories of the close community, great friendships and many pleasures such as dances in town and family gatherings.
There was no senior school in High Tor so she took correspondence courses to meet the requirements to enter nursing school in Portage La Prairie and graduated in the class of 48.
Martha worked at the hospital in Porcupine Plain for two years before marrying long time neighbour and now boyfriend, Glen Falladown, and moved to Mission in 1950. They lived there until 1952 when they moved to Hedley.
Martha and Glen had daughter, Lynn, in Mission, then Harriet and, later, Tom in the Princeton Hospital while living in Hedley. They moved the whole family to Princeton in 1963 and Martha began to work at the hospital when Glen took a job with Rice's sawmill in Coalmont and then, after four years, became a mechanic/welder for the town crew.
Martha regularly took courses to upgrade her nursing skills and took on more responsibility. She eventually became the operating room nurse. She also worked on ward and in the emergency department. She was often on call and her children grew up knowing that when the phone rang in the middle of the night, it could be a call for their mother to rush to the hospital to help with an emergency case.
They also knew that, during road trips, there would be stops along the way if there was an accident. Martha was always quick to jump to the aid of injured strangers, whether victims of traffic accidents or someone falling down on a city street.
Martha was a highly respected nurse in Princeton and she took great pride in her work. In a small community, many families were personally touched by the care and the comfort she provided.
She eventually retired in 1986 and she and Glen began to enjoy travel and vacations across Canada and in the southern USA during winter months. They routinely camped in their trailer at the Happy Travelers Campground in Palm Springs, a habit that some of her children have picked up more recently. Whenever possible, Martha and Glen traveled and camped with siblings and cousins. They developed strong friendships with other regulars in their winter campground and their lives were greatly enriched by these experiences.
Martha often commented on how lucky she was with her three children and many grandchildren. She celebrated every birth and was very proud of her grandchildren who were becoming parents themselves. She was equally close to the children of her siblings and was a loving "Aunty Martha"to them all. After losing Glen in 2014, Martha moved into Vermillion Court where she continued to enjoy an active social life with other residents, under the excellent care of the staff and her family. More recently, she moved to Orchard Haven in Keremeos where she was happy and well cared for.
Martha died peacefully on July 5th and is survived by her brother Edward Walsh and sister-in-law Verna Kinross and daughters Lynn (Ernie) and Harriet (Ian) and son, Tom (Tracy). She is also greatly missed by her grandchildren Erica (Jamie), Clare (Alex), Darcy (Chris), Aimee (Alex), Hallie (Norm), Tyson and Jill (Jeff). She was a proud great grandmother to 8. Her nieces and nephews join the family in celebrating her long and remarkable life.
Martha's family wishes to especially thank Dr Monro, the Vermilion Court workers in Princeton and in her final years the excellent care staff at Orchard Haven in Keremeos.


Your condolences will be approved within one business day. You will need a valid Facebook account. Please email us if you have any questions.