Caroline was born March 8, 1909 in the small town of Marathon in northwestern Iowa, the daughter of James and Carrie Woodruff and the younger sister of Norman. Her father was a superintendent of public schools and her mother a teacher; the theme of education was to resonate throughout her life. The Woodruffs moved to Des Moines in 1912; Caroline grew up in the shadow of the capitol building, finished high school, and began her studies at Drake University. After her father accepted a faculty position at Iowa State University, Caroline moved to Ames with her family and transferred to Iowa State, graduating with a degree in education in 1931. While at ISU, Caroline pledged and became a sister in the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, a membership she treasured. Caroline put her degree to work teaching high school Math and English in Storm Lake and Early, Iowa. It was at Early where she fell in love with the school principal. Caroline and Ted Martens were married August 26, 1933 in Des Moines; they moved to West Des Moines where they lived happily with their wire haired terrier, Buddy, and continued teaching at Valley High School for ten years. When not working, they enjoyed visiting Ted's family, Nels and Sophie Martens, in Story City and relaxing with Ted's sister and her husband, Esther and Art Fish in Maxwell. One of Caroline's fondest memories was a trip to California with Esther and Art before the war - they drove across country on five dollars a day, surviving on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They stopped at every tourist spot along the way and finally made it to the Pacific Ocean. During WWII, Ted rejoined the military, having also served in WWI. His business school background served well in army administration; he accepted a position with the VA after the war. During this time, the affections for Buddy were redirected to the newest member of the Martens family, daughter Kay. The VA moved Ted and his family across the US; they lived in Nebraska, New York, Illinois, and Wisconsin. After Caroline lost Ted to a brain tumor in 1967, she moved to Arizona. Caroline was able to return to her education background as she went to work for ASU with the Associated Students. She worked there until her retirement in 1975. In 1970, Caroline bought her home on Miller Road, and opened a new chapter in her life. She became involved in the Villa Monterey community, serving as President of the Women's Auxiliary and later on the Board of Directors for the home owner's association. She was, along with her neighbors, a member of the Miller Road Gang, a fun-loving group of friends that enjoyed any excuse to have a party - the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl, the Parada del Sol... Caroline's good friend and neighbor Josie Sawaia was a fellow gang member. Caroline developed important relationships with other members of the community. She and Tom Bennett were very close, taking a South Seas cruise to Hawaii, Tahiti, Bali, Australia and New Zealand. Caroline cared for Tom through his illness and eventual passing in 1982. Tom's son, Jim, remained close to Caroline and, along with his wife Valerie, shared special times with Caroline and made it a point to stop by for visit or with a home-cooked meal. Caroline loved to travel; she took a trip throughout the Orient with Villa Monterey resident Jocelyn Bebee. She brought home many souvenirs and special memories; the trip reinforced her love of all things oriental and her belief that Asia was a beautiful continent with lovely people. Another important relationship in Villa Monterey was with Homer Woehrmyer. Caroline and Homer were very close; Homer called Caroline every night. Sadly though, Homer passed away in 1988. Homer's daughter, JoAnn, and her husband Tom Giek, have a home on the same street as Kay and Phil, and Caroline enjoyed renewing her friendship with JoAnn. Caroline had another group of special friends that called themselves "The Lunch Bunch." The Lunch Bunch got together regularly to enjoy going out to lunch; many good meals and laughter were shared by this group over the years. There are a few remaining members that remember the good times with Caroline: Maxine Miller and Kirsti Snall. Caroline stayed active throughout her life; in her late 80's at Kay's urging, she took up Tai Chi at the Scottsdale Senior Center. She practiced hard and was an inspiration to many of the younger students in her classes, those "kids" in their 70's. She hated to quit practicing and still thought about the people from her classes: her instructor, Mary Isaacson and her special friends Mandy Patel and Barbara Spears. Caroline once said, "Don't grow old; you lose all your friends." She may have been right about the "old" part - we would have celebrated her 99th birthday next month - but she was wrong about the friends - she had many friends that cared about her, and we all remember Caroline with love and admiration.