Bookkeeper was devoted to her work for church

Ruby Martz, 83, onetime head bookkeeper for the Lucas County State Bank who taught Sunday school at a local church for three decades, died Saturday in her Secor Road home.

Mrs. Martz died of Parkinson s disease, said her husband of 56 years, Robert Martz.

For more than 30 years, Mrs. Martz dedicated her Saturdays to preparing lesson plans for the children at Fairgreen Presbyterian Church in West Toledo, her husband said.

Later, she oversaw the church nursery for about 10 years, telling the children stories to entertain them.

When Mr. Martz s work took him out of town, she filled in for him running church-sponsored youth baseball teams.

“They called her Mrs. Coach, ” Mr. Martz said. “The kids got along well with her, and she enjoyed the children.”

Born Ruby Healey in Lagrange, Ind., she worked in a General Electric plant in Fort Wayne during World War II. She and Mr. Martz met at church after he came back from military service, and they married in 1947 and moved to Toledo.

She worked “off and on” for 20 years at the bank, Mr. Martz said. When the work there increasingly required cross-town travel to various branches, he said, Mrs. Martz found a new job in the accounting department at Sears near her home.

Mrs. Martz was a member of the Sigma Gamma Presidents Club and a former member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

She is survived by her husband, Robert, sons, Robert, Gary, and Phillip V.; daughter, Linda Sue Martz; sister, Vivian Bair; six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be after 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Walker Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday in Fairgreen Presbyterian Church.

The family suggests tributes to the church.