Martha Elizabeth Goudy

Martha Elizabeth (Schwaiger) Goudy, 97, of Columbia City, passed away at her home in Coesse on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, surrounded by her family at home. Martha placed on her pink travel hat along with her angel wings to fly high over her Mackinac Bridge one last time, on her way to the Golden Gates of Heaven, and joining her parents and brothers. 

Born on Nov 27, 1927, in Marion, Indiana, Martha was the daughter of Frank J. Schwaiger Jr. and Ada A. (Harding) Schwaiger. Martha had two older brothers that watched out for her. She was very close to her cousin Anna Schwaiger. She loved riding her horse “Bell”. While attending Marion High School, she was in the marching band where she played the clarinet. Martha worked as a press operator at Precision Plastics for over 20 years until her retirement.

On the weekends her family would pack up the family car and they would go to their lake cottage up at Loon Lake in Whitley County. There she met her future husband, Ralph D Goudy. Later they moved there and built their home to start the fortune. They had a speed boat and loved to spend time on the lake. She loved to spend time with her family, watching her John Wayne movies, and her IU basketball. 

Martha was a member of The Order of the Eastern Star for over 50 years. She loved to travel to her favorite place, Mackinaw City. It was there where she watched her bridge being built. Martha continued to go up to her bridge about every year. She enjoyed meeting new people, sitting hours on the porch outside of the hotel room, just looking at her bridge along with her daughter Sheila and Jerrie Hammond-Begue. Martha also enjoyed going to the football games, loved to do ceramics, collect crosses, and read Louis Lamore books. She would spend hours working on her word search books, and enjoying a Pepsi or two daily.

She is survived by her loving family, daughter and son-in-law, Jeffrey and Sheila (Goudy) Vanlandingham; granddaughter, Tabitha E. Vanlandingham; grandson, Jason (Nancy) Goudy, Keith (Katrina) Goudy and Kirk (LaChelle) Goudy; great grandchildren, Vaughn, Vivienne, Reilly, Marissa, Layla, Jayde, Layla; many nieces and nephews, Cathy (Rich) Colman, Diana (Dale) Craig, Dan (Marsha) Vanlandingham, Gary (Christine) Vanlandingham and Cindy (Amos) Lemons, and David (Pat) Schwaiger; Fur Baby Penny; and son, Michael.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by brothers and sisters-in-law, Henry (Beverly) Schwaiger, Francis (Frances) Schwaiger, nephew and niece: Rita Chapman and Steven Schwaiger; cousin and her husband: Anna and Ralph Vanlandingham; and former husband, Ralph Goudy.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 pm Monday, December 23, 2024, at DeMoney-Grimes Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City, with visitation starting at 11:00 am. 

Burial will follow in Greenhill Cemetery, Columbia City.

Memorials can be made in Martha’s memory towards funeral expenses, in care of DeMoney-Grimes. 

Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send condolences or to sign the online guest register.