Martha Kieffer's (nee Mary Ann) life is best summed up in the Bible verse from the Book of Proverbs: "When one finds a valiant woman (wife), her value is far beyond pearls". Martha was born in Carrington, North Dakota on April 5, 1932 to Marie and Joe Kieffer. Though her birth certificate states April 4th, Martha said her mother always told her she was born on the 5th and she ought to know, as she was there. She was born at the height of the Great Depression and because of this, her family moved often in order for her father to find work. Martha was a precocious child and was always getting into mischief until her mother discovered that Martha enjoyed baking, a passion she carried the rest of her life. It was during this time another child was added to the family, a son Bob. With the outbreak of WWII, her father enlisted in the service and the family moved across the country to Spokane, Washington. With the upcoming deployment of her father overseas, the family moved to Olivia, Minnesota to be close to relatives.

Martha had many cousins and friends in Olivia, Minnesota and she would e xpound on all the adventures they had; like skating on the drainage ditch in the winter and later as teenagers going to the ice cream pallor when the should have been at religious instructions. When her father returned from the war, her parents added three more children to the family; David, Janine and Donna, who was born when Martha was in college. It was Martha's dream to go to St. Catherine College in St. Paul, Minnesota and become a dietitian. She worked during the summers to save up money to help defray the expense and was able to get a scholarship. She loved college life with all it entailed but there was something missing. She felt drawn to the religious life and though she tried to resist it, God would have His way. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet after completing her sophomore year of college, the same community her father's sister, Sr. Clarinda, had entered many years prior. Upon professing her religious vows, she taught in many schools and worked during the summers as a dietitian in the hospitals the sisters sponsored. When the community obtained a summer house named Timberlee, the sisters could go for a week's vacation. Martha was placed in charge of coordinating activates there, including food service. She enjoyed life, skiing in the winter, camping and swimming in the summer b ut her true passion was teaching. It was while she was teaching at Cretin-Derham High School in "Learning Lab", with Brother Michael Rivers, she had the opportunity to obtain schooling in ESL which she would put to good use in her "second career". It was during this time she met Maria Cofrancesco, who came to live with the sisters. Martha and Maria would go on to live with each other for the next 24 years. Maria would consider Martha her "adoptive mom" as she had lost her mother the year before she met Martha, who in turn, considered Maria her "adoptive daughter" and they became a part of each other's family.

After "retiring" from Cretin-Derham, Martha started her second career teaching ESL to adult learners at "Learning in Style", a center started by the sisters to assist new immigrants in learning english. Martha taught the beginners. They loved her and she loved them. By end of the school year, almost all her students could read and speak basic english. They called her"Silly Teacher" for the antics she would do to help them understand the complicated concepts of the English language. In 2013, Maria transferred to the Orlando VAMC for work and the community gave Martha permission to accompany her to Florida. They moved to Heritage Hills in Clermont, Florida. Everyone in the development knew Sr. Martha, from
her pool buddies to her chair aerobic friends. They both became very active in their parish, St. Faustina, teaching weekly religion classes to the 7th and 8th graders, to lectoring on Sundays. As Martha aged, it was harder for her to be as physically active as she had been when younger. She was now able to spend more time with the Lord, praying and quietly being in His presence as she petted the cats who she loved dearly. She sustained a stroke on Monday April 15, 2019 and was hospitalized. As per the promise she had made to Martha, Maria brought Martha home so she could be in the home she loved surrounded by those that loved her. Martha died on Holy Thursday, April 18, 2019. As the Book of Proverbs states:
"…the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her a reward of her labors and let her works praise her at the city gates". She is proceeded in death by her parents Marie and Joe, her brothers Bob and David and her sister Jeanine (Walker).