Marta Thorman
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved wife, mother and friend, Marta Thorman, on June 9, 2024, at her residence in Costa Mesa, California. Marta lived with dementia for the last five years of her life but eventually succumbed to cancer. Her last days were spent under the loving care of her six children, husband and Hospice. A funeral service and reception were held at American Martyrs Catholic Church in Manhattan Beach, CA on July 8, 2024. Marta’s final resting place is at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, CA., where she was interred on July 17, 2024.
Marta was born in the small village of Neudorf, Germany, on July 7, 1935, to her parents Maria and Florian Herzog. Her early education was under the difficult conditions of World War II. She had 2 sisters, Lisa and Maria, and three brothers, Gerhart, Bernhard and Walter. All predeceased Marta.
Marta met her husband to be, Philip, a U.S. Army soldier, in her father’s Gasthaus in Neudorf, Germany. They were married on August 2, 1956, in St Bernard’s Catholic Church in Karlsruhe, Germany.
On returning to the USA Marta and her husband moved to Berkeley, CA where her husband completed his studies and was awarded a BS degree in Petroleum Engineering. After his graduation in 1959, they relocated to the Bakersfield and Taft areas of California where he worked in the oil fields. By this time Marta had given birth to three daughters, Lisa Yvonne, Sandra Jeane, and Tania Marie.
After living in the desert areas of the southern San Joaquin Valley for nearly five years it was time for another move….. this time to the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Marta’s summer arrival in 1964 was breathtaking to say the least. The family settled down in a concrete block DH3 house in Abqaiq and Marta was busy providing a loving home for family and friends. In 1970 Aramco assigned her husband to work in Dhahran where they remained until retirement. Marta proceeded to have three more children being Monique Suzanne, Teresa Ann and a son, Philip Michael.
While living in Saudi, and beyond, Marta dedicated her life to raising their family in a loving Christian environment enriched with German and local culture. In the mid-1980s, Marta became instrumental in coordinating a group of women to stuff and sew hand-crafted dolls and animals. All of the materials were either donated by Aramco or the women’s group. The dolls and animals were then sold from a booth at the annual Christmas Bazaar to local Aramcons as well as visiting Saudi and other families in the local communities. All proceeds from the sale went to Father Watrin in Kathmandu, Nepal, for feeding the poor and developing educational facilities for young children.
After residing in Saudi for nearly 30 years, Marta’s husband retired and they settled for a short time in the Lake Tahoe area in Nevada. Napa Valley was her next destination where they helped design and construct a new home. However, by 1999 another move took place. This time to Reno, NV, where, yep, another home was built. And then the third and last one in Rough and Ready, CA. In 2019, it was time to downsize! Marta and Philip then relocated to a 55-plus community in Costa Mesa, CA, where her husband continues to live.
During employment with Aramco and retirement, Marta and Philip were frequent travelers and were able to keep in touch with family members in Germany and throughout the world. Many car trips were taken in Europe with Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy topping the list.
Marta will always be remembered with love as being a first-class homemaker and putting the needs of others first.