Martha "Marty" Schmitz-Wealleans

Martha “Marty” Schmitz-Wealleans of Perrysburg, OH, formerly of Wauseon, OH, went to be with the Lord on Easter morning, April 9, 2023, passing peacefully in her sleep. Marty was born on October 5, 1930 in Defiance, Ohio to parents George and Nora (Hornish) Steingass.

She was the seventh of twelve children. As a child her father taught her to fish and her mother gave her piano lessons. She could sing and play any hymn by heart. Marty was an avid water skier, roller-skater, bowler, high school cheerleader and majorette.

After graduation from Jewell High School in 1948, Marty enrolled in the Ft. Wayne Beauty College, where she received her cosmetology license. On June 30, 1952 she married Richard Howard Schmitz (deceased, 1978). Together they grew their family, farm and business (S & R Equipment). Marty launched the First Lady Beauty Salon from their home in Wauseon, OH where she permed, cut and colored many heads of hair.

Marty’s kindness and generosity extended beyond her home as she made house calls to shut-ins. She devoted many hours serving in the theater ministry at Living Word Fellowship where she designed and constructed costumes for the Christmas and Easter programs. Selflessly, she gave to missionaries, ministries and those in need.

On January 12, 1980, Marty married William T. Wealleans and they found joy in golfing, fishing and traveling. Her favorite destination was Branson, MO where they took in countless shows. In the winter months Marty and Bill resided in Beaufort, South Carolina where they hosted friends and family. Her favored past time was playing Sequence, Uno and Canasta. She was a fierce and feisty competitor. Everyone wanted to be her partner.

She kept her mind sharp and her fingers nimble as she embroidered ornate designs and handstitched multiple masterpieces. Her home was adorned with her needlework and her gardens burst with roses, lilies and tulips. There was order and beauty. Her grandchildren fondly recall swimming in her pool, playing with cousins and devouring ice cream sandwiches.

Her greatest endeavor was raising her children and making her house a home. She was the quintessential homemaker, mother and wife. Proverbs 31:27-28 best describes our mother:

She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her saying: “Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.”

Marty accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior at a young age, and it was the Lord that sustained her in her trials and tribulations from the cradle to the grave. It was the Word of God that renewed her mind daily as she prayerfully interceded for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. The cry of her heart was that her children and the generations to follow would love and serve the Lord.

Martha was preceded in death by her infant son, Richard Keith (deceased, 1957) her husband, Richard Howard Schmitz (deceased, 1978) and her granddaughter, Holly Marie Schmitz (deceased, 2000). She is survived by her husband, William T. Wealleans; six children, Robert (Karin), David (Rebecca), Sue Anne (William) Rogers, Thomas (Angela), Jamey (Rachel), and Brian (Brooke), 22 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.

On Friday, April 14, family will receive friends at the Witzler-Shank-Walker Funeral Home at 222 E. South Boundary St., Perrysburg, between 4 and 8 p.m. On Saturday, April 15, family will receive friends from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Grace Church 601 East Boundary, Perrysburg, Ohio. A Celebration of Life Worship Service will begin at 11:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon at Grace Church. Following the luncheon, there will be a procession to the Wauseon Union Cemetery where she will be laid to rest.

Memorial gifts in Martha’s memory may be made to Toledo’s Christian TV Station, WLMB-TV 40 at WLMB.com/donate. Online condolences may be sent to the family:walkerfuneralhomes.com.