Join us in celebrating the life of Martha Tebbenkamp. Contribute to this lasting memorial by sharing stories, memories, photos, and videos.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, October 9 from 11-1 at Neyborly, 205 NW 4th Avenue in Portland. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation... see moreJoin us in celebrating the life of Martha Tebbenkamp. Contribute to this lasting memorial by sharing stories, memories, photos, and videos.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, October 9 from 11-1 at Neyborly, 205 NW 4th Avenue in Portland. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to your favorite animal welfare or human services charity.
Share this memorial with family and friends, and remember to RSVP to help us plan.
OBITUARY
Martha Jane Tebbenkamp died Aug. 14, 2019 after a lengthy illness at her longtime home in Portland. She was 57. Her husband, Bill Reinert and both her brothers, Edwin and Robert Tebbenkamp, were at her side when she died. Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1962, to Jessie and Lynn Tebbenkamp, Martha was the fourth of five children. She attended Churchill High School, where she made the National Honor Society and won awards with the... see moreMartha Jane Tebbenkamp died Aug. 14, 2019 after a lengthy illness at her longtime home in Portland. She was 57. Her husband, Bill Reinert and both her brothers, Edwin and Robert Tebbenkamp, were at her side when she died.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1962, to Jessie and Lynn Tebbenkamp, Martha was the fourth of five children.
She attended Churchill High School, where she made the National Honor Society and won awards with the school's champion debate team while waiting tables.
After graduating from high school Martha moved to Dallas, Texas, where she lived for two years before returning home to San Antonio in 1983 and enrolling in college.
She earned a degree in business administration with a specialty in human resources from the University of Texas at San Antonio while working full time. During this time, she met her future husband, Bill. She graduated in 1986.
After moving to Greenville, Texas, in 1987, where Bill had a newspaper job, the couple married May 16, 1987. Shortly thereafter, Martha accepted a position with the federal Social Security Administration offices in San Francisco. That fall she transferred to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, beginning her service as a Specialist in ATF's Western Region Technical Services Branch.
Martha was sorting tax checks at her desk a bit after 5 p.m. in ATF's high-rise offices in San Francisco Oct. 17, 1989 when, glancing out the window, she noticed the building next door swaying back and forth. A coworker shouted at Martha, who was grinning with excitement, to drop the checks and evacuate immediately as a major earthquake was shaking the city. As the BART subway shut down, Martha ended up taking one of the first passenger ferries in decades to run commuters across the Bay from San Francisco to Oakland, where she lived with her husband.
The couple moved from Oakland to Portland in 1990, where they bought a house in the city's Alberta district within six months, as well as adopting two cats and two dogs. As an ATF investigator, she traveled often and extensively on agency business in the Great Northwest, ranging from Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and California.
She especially enjoyed Whitefish, Mont., where she lounged in a hot tub, keeping her beer chilling in the snow ringing the spa. She especially disliked backing down steep, one-lane, gravel logging roads in winter weather after receiving confusing directions to an explosives bunker.
Martha flourished in her new career, earning Western Region Employee of the Year in 1992 and consistently earning excellent evaluations from her supervisors and winning awards for her work.
She transferred to the agency's Seattle office in 2000, continuing her service as an investigator, and later briefly serving as the regional office's public information officer. When the ATF spun off its regulatory branch after 9-11, Martha transferred to the new agency, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, returning to the field and working from home.
In 2007, the couple returned to Portland, where Martha continued to work from home. After more than 32 years of service with the agency, Martha was preparing to retire when she was diagnosed with cancer early in 2019.
Passionate about animals, Martha volunteered as a property inspector with the Oregon Humane Society, ensuring prospective adopters had housing adequate for keeping an animal in good condition.
She was a huge fan of the comic strip Breaking Cat News and lobbied the editor to carry it in The Oregonian.
In addition to her domestic professional travel, Martha relished overseas trips. She and Bill traveled to England, France and Italy. In 2018, they took a river cruise in Germany. During a tour of a Houdini museum in Budapest, she volunteered to help out with the resident magician's card trick, drawing a great picture of a cat on a card as part of it.
A very giving, generous person, Martha donated much time, money and many goods to a variety of charities dedicated to animal and human welfare, including Alley Cat Allies and The Pixie Project. She also delighted in buying bargain toys and clothing to donate to Toys for Tots and other charities, and volunteered for the annual U.S. postal carriers' Stamp Out Hunger food drive.
Martha is survived by her husband, Bill, of Portland; her brothers, Edwin, of Austin, Texas and Robert, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; a sister, Jessie Lynne Moore of San Antonio; and her mother, Jessie Tebbenkamp, also of San Antonio; as well as her beloved cats, Dewey and Abby.
Those wishing to send flowers or gifts to her home are encouraged instead to make a donation in her name to a favorite animal or human services charity.
Martha was a kind and generous soul. When anyone needed assistance she was first to step up and provide a hand to lift them up and lessen their burden. There's a special place in heaven for Martha.