Martha Glauser Halliday

Devoted and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother Martha Glauser Halliday died peacefully of natural causes on December 23rd. She is survived by her two sons David R. (Jill) and James C. (Karen) Halliday; her grandchildren Tanya, Misty, Heather, David S., and Valeri; her great grandchildren Chloe, James, JD, Ryan, and Emma Lee; and her dear sister Gertrude. David Muir Halliday, Jr. Her beloved husband of sixty-four years, died in 2004.
She was born on December 19, 1916 to Ernest and Anna Glauser in the picturesque city of Bern, Switzerland, where she enjoyed childhood walks past the city's iconic clock towers and famous bear pits, through medieval arcades, and over the bridge spanning the alpine-snow-fed Aare River, to the fragrant rose gardens overlooking Switzerland's capital city. She was baptized at the age of eight by her father in the Aare's icy waters and then con rmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Her family's desire to be sealed, a religious ordinance performed exclusively in LDS temples, of which there were none in Europe at that time, led them to immigrate to America in 1928, crossing the Atlantic by steamer, passing through Ellis Island, and traveling by rail from New York to their new home in Salt Lake City, a house on 13th South, across the street from Liberty Park. Martha attended Hawthorne Elementary, Lincoln Junior High, and South High School. Throughout her school years, Martha enjoyed a variety of sports and theatrical and musical activities. While working at JC Penny in downtown Salt Lake, she met her husband-to-be, David M. They married on July 5, 1939 – two months before Hitler invaded Poland to initiate war in Europe, which would escalate into World War II.
A year after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, bringing America into the War, David M. (now in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Douglas) and Martha had their rst son, David R., born December of 1942. Shortly thereafter David M. was transferred for further training in the U.S. and eventually deployed to Europe, where he participated in the Battle of the Bulge and remained until the U.S. victory in 1945. During these years, Martha and her young son lived with her parents and sister, Gertrude, across the street from Liberty Park.
Their second son, James C. was born in September of 1946. Meanwhile, David M. worked brie y as a diesel mechanic at Paci c Intermountain Express and soon began driving P.I.E.'s big rigs, his vocation for the next three decades, while Martha successfully embraced the role of homemaker, and all that entails: raising her boys, supporting them in their many school and church activities, nursing them through illness and injury, entertaining, nurturing, and winning the affection of their friends with her charm and grace, organizing annual vacations at Bear Lake, baking, canning, washing, ironing, cleaning, and preparing delicious, nourishing meals, while maintaining a warm and loving household, complete with a beautiful yard and gardens. In 1965 David M. was transferred to northern California, where the couple settled in Palo Alto, a climate that allowed Martha to further excel at gardening, growing a wide variety of owers and fruit trees.
In 2002, after Martha suffered a mild stroke, the couple moved back to Salt Lake and took up residence on Logan Avenue, in the 15th and 15th district. They enjoyed their time in Salt Lake until David M. died in 2004, after which Martha lived alone in her home for a few years before moving into the Wellington assisted living facility, then into David R. and Jill's home from 2012 to 2014, and nally into Evergreen Residential Home, winning throughout the love and respect of new friends, young and old.
The family wishes to express thanks to Martha's wonderful supporters – relatives and friends – for their extraordinary kindness and consideration, and to Hospice and the staff at Evergreen for their compassionate care.
Family and friends are invited to a viewing and celebration of Martha's life on Sunday, January 8th from 6-8 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East. Complimentary valet parking provided on the north side of the building. Funeral Service will be held on Monday, January 9th at 11:00 AM at Crystal Heights 2nd Ward, 1970 E. Stratford Ave, with a viewing one hour prior to services. Interment will follow at Salt Lake Cemetery, 4th Ave and N Street.