Martha Hentz

Martha Gross Hentz passed away on January 10th, after a brief illness. She was five days shy of her 92nd birthday. Martha was born on January 15th, 1931, to Lillian Mildred (Manning) Gross and Leslie Willard Gross in Lowell Massachusetts. After graduating with a degree in Nursing from New England Baptist Hospital School of Nursing, Martha worked as an RN intermittently at various facilities while raising three children and traveling as a military spouse. She held a position at Hampshire County Action Commission, providing nursing care to low-income families for a time before finishing her career at Northampton Area Pediatrics as head nurse, running a busy operation with warmth and tenderness. She was particularly proud of her role there as she became very close to the many children and their parents, providing comfort and calm in what were often stressful situations. On December 31st, 1947 - New Year's Eve, Martha had her first date with her future husband, David E. Hentz. They were married on August 2nd, 1952, and went on to have 3 boys, a source of great pride throughout her life. Their marriage would last for 57 years until David’s death in 2009. Martha was an accomplished oil painter and watercolorist. She spent many hours on a given weekend, painting wildlife, landscapes and still lifes. In retirement, Martha spent much of her time helping to raise her grandchildren and becoming an avid quilter, a talent that grew out of her skill as a seamstress she learned from her mother. Quilting became her main passion in her later years as she would often produce them as gifts along with potholders, wall hangings and decorative pillows. She and David had many beloved cats and dogs and shared a great love and appreciation for all creatures of God. Martha was an avid reader and a lover of classical music. Alongside her husband, Martha was a longtime member of St. John’s Episcopal Church of Northampton, acting as a communicant and eucharistic minister while serving on several committees and participating in outreach programs. St. John’s became a major source of faith during her life and a community she became connected and deeply committed to. In addition to her husband, Martha was predeceased by her parents, her older siblings, Robert Gross, Carolyn (Gross) Greene and Anne Gross. She is survived by son Peter Hentz and his wife, Anne Hentz, son John Hentz and his wife, Patty Hentz, son David Hentz, Jr., grandsons Randall Hentz, Daniel Hentz and Laughlin Hentz, granddaughters Nikki Cogdill, Melanie Laurin and Caroline Tellier and their spouses and partners, great grandchildren, Aislinn Hentz, Gina Hentz and Noah Laurin, and several nieces, nephews and their spouses, partners and children. At Martha’s request, a private ceremony will be held for immediate family only. DROZDAL FUNERAL HOME of Northampton has been entrusted with her services. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Dakin Animal Humane Society of Springfield, MA, St. John’s Episcopal Church of Northampton, MA and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. For more information, or to leave the family a personal condolence, please visit Drozdalfuneralhome.com.

Martha Hentz

January 15, 1931 - January 10, 2023