Martha R. (Kocher) Lawler

Martha R. Lawler, 100, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018, at the The Gardens of Orangeville. She had been a resident there for five months. Born Sarah Martha Kocher on Aug. 2, 1917, in Briar Creek Township to Levi and Ida Kocher, Martha was adopted by the late Rea R. Richart and his wife, Flora Stella (Kocher), after her mother passed away in 1919. Flora was Martha’s older cousin.

Martha grew up in Berwick, becoming a city girl. It was not until her teen years that she realized that she had brothers and a sister out in the country. Martha lived on Mulberry Street in Berwick for 93 years. She graduated from the Berwick High School in 1935. She married the late Donald P. Lawler in 1939. Martha’s first job was in the Bloomsburg Public Library. She then worked for Montgomery Wards in the catalog department for 37 years.

Martha was energetic and loved to go on shopping outings and out to eat. She also enjoyed summer vacations in Old Forge, New York, with friends. Martha was active in the community with The Berwick Christian Church, where she had been a member for many years, AARP, The Red Hatters, the Berwick Hospital gift shop and her card and knitting clubs. She was named Berwick Area AARP volunteer of the year in 2005. She was ready to go at a moment’s notice. Her wonderful sense of humor and feistiness are legendary both in Berwick and with her family. In her few months in the Gardens at Orangeville, she was known and loved for her spirit by all.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Donald Lawler, in 1984. In addition to her husband, she was also preceded in death by her brothers: William Kocher, Boyd Kocher, Homer Kocher and Frank Kocher; and sisters: Ada Kocher Edwards and Eleanor Kocher Reeves. She was also predeceased in death by a number of nieces and nephews.

She is survived by nephews, Frank Kocher and his wife, Brenda, of Jonestown, David Kocher and his wife, Susan, of Orangeville, and Keith Kocher and his wife, Joan McCarty, of Lightstreet. Also, numerous other nieces, nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews survive, as well as longtime friends, Susan and Donald Sallade of Austin, Minnesota, and Laurel and Matthew Light of Rochester, Minnesota, to whom she was Aunt Martha.

Funeral services officiated by Pastor John Hill will be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Berwick Christian Church. Friends and relatives are invited for a visitation from 10-11 a.m. at the church before the service. Burial will be in the Pine Street Annex in Berwick following the service. A luncheon will be served at the church after the graveside service.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the Berwick Christian Church, 701 E. Fifth St., Berwick, PA 18603 or Frank W. Kocher Memorial Park c/o the Columbia County Conservation District, 702 Sawmill Mill Road, Suite 204, Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Attn: Mary Wagner.

James L. Hinckley Jr. Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 1024 N. Market St. Berwick, PA 18603 is handling the arrangements.

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