Martha (Wilson) Pedersen

Martha Palmer Wilson Pedersen, a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend and veteran, passed away peacefully in O’Fallon, Missouri at the age of 81 on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

Martha was born on October 4, 1943 in Boston, Massachusetts to George and Harriet (Quinn) Wilson. After graduating from Houlton High School (Houlton, Maine) in 1961, she completed a three-year nursing diploma program at the New England Baptist Hospital in Boston (1964). Martha worked as an ICU nurse and briefly as a clinical instructor before enlisting in the United States Army (1967) during the height of the Vietnam war. She completed basic training in San Antonio and shipped off to Neubruecke, Germany as a 2nd lieutenant attached to the 98th General Hospital where she worked in the Med Surg Unit and ICU for two years. While serving in Germany, Martha met the love of her life, USAF Lt. Col. (Ret.) David Pedersen, to whom she was married for over 51 years.

Martha was honorably discharged in 1969 before starting her family with David. She gave birth to their daughter, Holly, in 1971 (Germany) and their son, Matthew, in 1974 (Colorado). After raising their kids through early childhood, Martha returned to nursing and graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1985. She then spent 18 years working in geriatrics at nursing centers, ultimately retiring in 2005 while working in senior medicine in various capacities in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2006, Martha and David retired to Georgetown, Texas where they spent 15 years prior to David’s passing. In 2021, Martha moved to Wentzville, Missouri to live with her daughter and family as she dealt with the effects of dementia.

Martha was described by family and friends as having a wild and wonderful sense of humor. She was a devoted spouse, a loving mother, a proud grandmother and a faithful friend. She was fiercely loyal and protective of those whom she loved. She possessed a confident, passionate, and spirited personality – embracing every single one of her Irish roots (if you know, you know). She enjoyed many hobbies throughout the stages of her life, including riding horses, playing tennis, reading, all-things animals, volunteering and enjoying nature. “Mahtha” cheered loudest for any team from Boston or for which her children and grandchildren played. She was the backbone of a career military family and a dedicated caregiver in both her personal and professional life. In her last several years, dementia claimed pieces of her memory – but she’d be damned if it claimed an ounce of her fighting spirit. Most importantly of all, Martha was secure in her Christian faith, knowing one day she would stand in the presence of Jesus, fully restored, and reunited with those whom she loved.

Martha was preceded in death by her parents George and Harriet, as well as her husband David. She is survived by her daughter Holly VanGundy, son-in-law Jason and grandchildren Kylie, Noah, and Sydney of Wentzville, Missouri; and son Matthew and his wife Melanie (Riemer) of Fort Worth, Texas. She was supported from early childhood through the end of her life by her devoted cousin and circle of close girlfriends, all of whom were, by every sense of the word, “sisters” to this only child.

Martha’s wishes were to be cremated and her remains will be interred during a private ceremony in Lowell, Massachusetts in July. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate to a dementia or Alzheimer’s research organization of your choice.

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