Martha "Marty" Caan

1925 - 2013

Caan, Martha "Marty" Of Milwaukee died on November 13, 2013, at 88. She was, as she'd put it, "fine and dandy" to the end. She is survived by her sister Emma Ray; her children Julie, Wendy, Carrie and Richard; her brothers-in-law Carl Ray and Donald Spletter; and her many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters Lily Bell and Madeline Spletter and her former husband Wesley Caan. She was born in Elkhart Lake, WI on April 3, 1925. After high school, she moved to Milwaukee and then to Los Angeles while working at Western Union. She returned to Wisconsin to help care for her ailing mother. In 1952, she married Wesley and started a family. She worked at Wisconsin Bell for over 30 years and was a founding member of The Crazy Eights (later, The Nifty Nines), a group of retired Wisconsin Bell "girls" who met monthly for cards and high jinks. After retiring, she had more time for her many interests: dancing, traveling, collecting toy giraffes, crafting and reading. She was an active volunteer at Calvary Memorial Church and Froedtert Hospital. After starting each morning with coffee and the Journal crossword, she was a non-stop blur in her red Nissan. No doubt, she is dancing to "Stardust" and smiling at us all right now. She is missed by her family, friends and all of those whose lives she touched. A private ceremony was held by her children.