Martha Zelda POGUE

Passed away on Tuesday, November 19th at her home in Santa Rosa, CA. She was 84 years old. "Marty" was born on March 20th, 1929 to Nathan R. Gotthoffer and Esther A. Gotthoffer (Abramowitz) in Waukegan, Illinois and grew up in nearby Grayslake. She attended grade school in Grayslake and high school in Libertyville where she was an honor student, taking the Chicago -Milwaukee train line to school each day. She then moved with her family to Cincinnati, OH, where she finished her senior year at Withrow High School. After graduation, Marty attended Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where she excelled in English literature, graduating cum laude in 1951. Marty was the editor of the Cornell literary magazine, the "Widow", which was quite an honor. Marty returned to Cincinnati and took a job at Ziv Advertising where she met her first husband, Robert Dunn Sr. They had one son, Robert Jr. and were divorced shortly thereafter. As fate would have it Marty soon met the love of her life, John Crawford Pogue Jr. Marty and Crawford were married in Newport, KY, in 1960 and remained inseparable and wonderful companions for almost 50 years. The size of their family increased to include Crawford's five children; Ceci, John, Sheldon, Michael, and Stephen. In 1960, the couple headed west to seek a new start and settled in San Francisco where they lived in Twin Peaks and later moved across the bay to Tiburon where the hills were still just rolling grass and open spaces. Marty worked as a legal assistant in those years, taking the ferry every day into the city. Marty and Crawford took in all that California had to offer, traveling and spending vacations in the Sierras, Carmel, Big Sur, Yosemite, and elsewhere around the west, and escaping the summer fog with her sister's family in Sacramento. Despite their love of California, an opportunity presented itself in Guam and the intrepid couple headed across the Pacific on an old freighter. Although Guam was a tropical paradise, California still beckoned and the two eventually returned to Tiburon in the late 60s beginning a long journey that would carry them northward to St. Helena, and eventually Geyserville and the Alexander Valley, where they lived for the rest of their lives, enjoying the rural beauty and serenity of the wine country which became a part of them. After Crawford's death in 2005, Marty moved into Healdsburg and spent her last two years in Santa Rosa. Marty worked for much of her career in the wine industry both in Napa and Sonoma counties. She used her skills in writing, marketing, advertising, and event planning at Beringer's, Chateau Souverain, and eventually at Jordan Winery were she directed public relations. Marty started at the beginning with Jordan helping to grow and establish the winery's quality reputation for award-winning wines. There was little about grapes or the wine business that Marty didn't know. Marty lent those same skills for many years to the Healdsburg community as a tireless fundraiser and organizer for her favorite causes including the library, the Healdsburg hospital, and other important civic organizations including the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. The four-legged residents of Healdsburg will miss Marty's unwavering devotion to their betterment for which she worked until her final days. Marty will be remembered by all who knew her for her selfless and understated dedication to the causes which she held dear, especially for those who could not speak for themselves. To anyone who knew Marty, the first words to describe her would most certainly be - a reader. To say that she was well read would be an understatement and to buy her a book as a present would be a mistake, for she would surely have read it. Her love of the written word, from history to fiction, from poetry to children's stories and their illustrations, and even cartoons were well known to all who knew her. Books were a thread that connected Marty's life from the beginning until the end. A corner of her home was always dedicated to the librarian-sized stacks that would circulate among her friends and family. Marty was preceded in death by her beloved husband Crawford Pogue, her parents, Nat and Esther Gotthoffer and her stepson, Sheldon Pogue. She is survived by her son Robert Dunn (Laura Smith) of Bozeman, MT and her step-children: Ceci Sanders (David) of Cincinnati, OH, John Pogue (Tucky) of Ross, CA, Michael Pogue (Janet) of Cincinnati, OH, Stephen Pogue (Kathy) of Martha's Vineyard, MA, and her sister, Barbara Lenssen (Keith Anderson) of Santa Fe, NM, and by numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and countless friends. Marty will be dearly missed! The family extends special thanks to the nurses and staff of Santa Rosa Hospice, to the lovely and kind women of Santa Rosa Home Health Care, to the gracious staff at Varenna, and to Dr. Steven "Doc" Vargas of Healdsburg and his staff for their most compassionate care. A celebration of Marty's life will be held Saturday, March 22nd at 10:30 a.m. at The Vineyard Club in Geyserville. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift, in Marty's honor, to The Healdsburg Animal Shelter. "You will always be the bread and the knife, not to mention the crystal goblet and-somehow-the wine." from Billy Collins, poet laureate and Marty's favorite poet.