EDMONTON, Alberta — In this fast-paced age we live in, technology and sometimes people are considered to be past their age of effectiveness. Not so in the case of the "Two Marthas" in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Martha Balhoefener Burgess will celebrate her 100th birthday on April 16, a remarkable event in itself. However, Martha, a member of the Coronation Park Ward, Edmonton Alberta Riverbend Stake, serves faithfully every week at the Bonnie Doon Family History Center. This is where "Martha the computer" comes into the story. Upon entering the center, one will find Martha Burgess working away on her family history research on the trusty computer that she donated to the center in 1997. The computer, which volunteers dubbed "Martha," works well to this day.
Martha Balhoefener was born April 16, 1906, on her parents' farm in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. She was raised in that area, later moving to Edmonton to find employment as a housekeeper. There she met Harry Burgess and the two were married in 1940.
She joined the Church in 1950, although he did not join. Harry died in 1956. Family history always fascinated Martha and she began her family's work at that time. When the Family History Center opened in 1978, she was one of the first volunteers. Later in 1997 when the center was expanded and included one computer, she was there. Her enthusiasm for this great technology moved her to purchase and donate a second computer.
Since then she has researched and submitted thousands of names for temple ordinances. Her experience and skill with research prove invaluable to those attending the center. With her remarkable energy and enthusiasm for the work, she sets a wonderful example of what can be done with time, effort and love of family ties.
Still living on her own, yet relying on the love and service of friends to get her to her appointed shift at the Family History Center, Martha Burgess' 100-year legacy lives on in word and deed and in the loyal and trustworthy computer — the second of two remarkable Marthas.Fran van Bruggen is a member of the Mission Hill Ward, Edmonton Alberta North Stake.