Martha Sinclair Koenigsdorf died peacefully after a short illness on May 30, 2014 at age 96. Martha was born March 14, 1918 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was preceded in death by her parents, John P. Sinclair and Clara Anna (Mill) Sinclair, and sisters Grace Robertson, Mona Knapp, and Clara Mill Sinclair, and her husband, the Honorable Richard H. Koenigsdorf. She is survived by her brother John H. Sinclair, sister Edith Downing, son Keith and wife Fran, son Richard and wife Trudy, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
As the daughter of a Scottish Presbyterian minister, Martha’s childhood included moves from Canada to the American Southwest where she learned to speak Spanish fluently, and finally to Caldwell, KS. As one of six gifted children, Martha excelled at both piano and violin. Martha graduated in 1934 at age 16 from Caldwell High School. She entered Park College that fall and graduated in 1938 with a degree in music education. After a brief teaching career, she settled in Kansas City and worked for an insurance agency. Her future husband's father, Julius Koenigsdorf, visited the agency and urged Martha to meet his eldest son, Richard, an attorney back from WWII, insisting that they would marry someday. As he predicted, the two married in 1950. Martha often said that “Dick” was the love of her life. The two often entertained Dick's law associates, fellow Shriners and Democratic party members, with Martha at the piano leading the singing. His career flourished and he was appointed to the bench of the Jackson County Circuit Court in 1963.
Martha was left to raise her two sons when Dick died unexpectedly in 1968. She continued her musical career and played piano professionally at Putsch’s 210 Restaurant. She worked in sales for Jenkins Music and later for Wurlitzer, set sales records for both companies, and was a top national Wurlitzer sales person.
In the last thirty years of her life, she worked in various capacities for Mount Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home or other funeral groups and played piano and organ for many funeral services. She traveled to Scotland to see her parents’ homeland, to Mexico and Las Vegas, and attended Sinclair family reunions. Always an avid reader, she enjoyed biographies and other pieces of non-fiction. She worked until age 93, at which time she left the funeral business, but continued to seek employment because she liked getting out each day and working with others. She continued driving to age 94, often from South Kansas City to Parkville to walk in English Landing Park “to get her exercise.”
After moving last year to Kingswood Senior Living, she continued to entertain the residents with weekly piano sing-a-longs up until the week of her death. Independent and passionate, Martha will be remembered by all who knew her as a woman who lived life to the fullest and enjoyed each day.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a favorite charity. Cremation. A celebration of Martha's life will be held with a visitation 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at Mt. Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Rd., Kansas City, MO.
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