Martha Louise Daly

Martha Louise Daly
March 25, 1919 - August 12, 2014
Martha Louise Daly of Los Alamitos, CA, passed away on
Tuesday August 12, 2014 after a short hospital stay. She was
95. She is predeceased by her husband William Daly who
passed away in 2003, her son Michael Daly who died in 2006,
and her son Tim Daly who died in 2011.
"Marty" was born in Mishawaka, Indiana on March 25, 1919, and
lived what she would describe as a "wonderful life". Marty was
not only a world class mother (of seven children) but also a
world class friend. She was loved by all who met her as she had a way of making everyone
feel special. She was a talented and gifted woman, with hundreds of friends and
always lived her life to the fullest. A talented musician, who played the church organ at
Sunday Masses for decades, she also delighted her family and friends with incredible
concerts and "sing-a-longs" on many occasions - she was truly the life of the party. She
counts hundreds of accomplished pianists as her original pupils when she taught piano,
the organ, and chords. Marty was also an impeccable bridge player who wrote her own
bridge lessons and then taught hundreds of newbies how to play the game she loved so
well. She still played every week this year and was always among the "winners" at every
game. Marty also mastered almost every needlecraft, creating beautiful and original
patterns, and putting all her love into gifts that spoke to each recipient.
She graduated from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana in 1941, in an era
when it was unusual for women to even go to school. She met Bill Daly, the love of her
life, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame, also in 1941. Bill went to war
and then returned to America five years later to go to Law School (originally at Yale) but
made a brief stopover at Notre Dame "to see if anyone he knew was still there". He reconnected
with Marty and decided right then to go to Law School at ND. Marty became
Secretary to the President of Notre Dame and was one of the first women to ever work
in the Golden Dome. Bill and Marty married on the campus in 1946 and after their first
son was born, they moved West to California, the promised land, to start their new lives.
She raised seven children with her husband of fifty-six years, Bill Daly (she always
called him by both names), and lived up and down the West Coast from Sacramento,
California, to Edmonds, Washington to Hermosa Beach, Glendora, Oceanside, back to
Sacramento, before finally settling in Los Alamitos in 2010 close to some of her children.
She is survived by her five remaining children, eight grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren:
- Tim Daly's children Noah and Gabrielle (Louisville, Kentucky);
- Diane McGarry (Fripp Island, South Carolina) and her daughter Rachel McQueen
(Rob) and their children Mikey and Maggie Rose (Pittsford, New York)
- Mo Daly and her daughter Zoe Kipping (Lotus, California, and Sacramento, California);
- Tom Daly and his partner Billie McClendon (Long Beach, California)
- Patti Daly Franklin and her son Tyler (Los Alamitos, California)
- Roberta Ramelli Daly (Daughter-in-law/widow of Mike) and their children William and
Julia (Rome, Italy);
- David Daly (Kristine Collins) (Elk Grove, California);
- Grand-daughter Annette Dempsey (Nassau, Bahamas).
Our mom always felt that education, of any kind, was the single biggest contributor to
future success in your life, and that education went a long way in making your life as interesting
as it can be, so she made sure that each of her children had the chance to
graduate from college, which they all did. So... in lieu of flowers, please consider remembering
Marty through contributing to the education of many others with donations to
the "Martha Abberger Daly Scholarship" at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana.
Or if you prefer, donate a small gift toward the education of one of your loved ones.
The family would like to thank the loving caregivers at Katella Senior Living for making
her last years so enjoyable. There will be a private family memorial and celebration at a
later date. Marty's final resting place will be right next to her beloved Bill Daly at the
Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California.