Martha Irene Schepp, 74, of Newburg, ND, passed away on December 7, 2023 at the Bottineau Hospital. Her funeral will be on December 16, 2023, at 10:00 am, at Dovre Lutheran in Newburg, ND. Visitation will be held at Nero Funeral Home December 15, 2023, starting at 1:00 pm with a prayer service at 7:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be given to Metigoshe Ministries, Dovre Lutheran Church, Dovre Lutheran Cemetery or St. Andrews's Health Center.

Martha was born on July 28th, 1949, in Rolla, ND, to Floyd and Dorothy (Abrahamson) Lamb of Dunseith. She was raised in the Turtle Mountains, near the Peace Gardens, where she was baptized in School Section Lake, and where her lifelong love of flowers flourished. She attended school in Dunseith where she made lifelong friends and then graduated from high school in 1968. She went on to earn her teaching degree in higher education in both Bottineau and Mayville.  Martha began teaching grades 3 and 4, in Kramer, where she lived and met her future husband, Lynn Schepp, from Newburg, ND. Sparks flew after they met uptown and then went to her apartment where they rolled the carpet away and danced with friends into the morning.

On August 4th, 1973, Martha and Lynn were married in Dunseith and celebrated that evening in Kramer, and she always talked about how much fun there was to be had there. Lynn and Martha soon welcomed their first son Kevin, who inspired her to take some time off from her career to raise their family. Lynn and Martha also welcomed sons; Kristen, Kyle and Karson to have 4 sons in 5 years. Martha loved spending time with family at Lake Metigoshe, and sharing with them her intense love, and appreciation for everything that her childhood life in the hills had brought her. This inspired her love of her favorite movie, The Sound of Music. She shared her memories of the lily pads on the ponds and how she grew up with the smells floating through the air in the spring and the beautiful white birch that she would have the family bring home to use in several craft projects. Martha was a Pinterest mom way before there was a Pinterest. She always made impossible-seeming things, possible.

Once Martha felt her young family had some footing she went back to teaching Kindergarten in Newburg. Throughout her career she taught in the Kramer, Newburg, and Maxbass schools, and taught for a total of 37 years. Martha believed in contributing to her community, and was very giving. Martha was involved with the PTO, Church Council, Ladies Aid, 4-H, and Birthday club with her much-loved friends. She kept books for the Newburg Area Development Company and also held parties selling Princess House Crystal for many years. It was not uncommon for her to serve as a drop-in-daycare at times or having someone in special circumstances stay with the family for a time as if they were one of her own. Lynn and Martha opened the K-boys greenhouse, which led to Martha creating bouquets for weddings, and running a floral shop in the Newburg mall. The hobbies she loved included sewing, quilting, and gardening in her sizeable perennial and vegetable gardens. She was known to sew the finishing touches on a quilt on the way to the event where she would then gift it to someone.

Martha took her turn cooking for Lynn and his coworkers during his years at the seed plant every Monday, and cooked for the pit crews that would show up every night of the week to work on the boys' next race or derby car. She hosted hunters over the years as well. Her boys say they don't even know how she did all that she did.

In time, Lynn and Martha's family grew by 4 daughters-in-law and 12 grandchildren. This resulted in the license plate boasting GRNCH12. Schepps' wasn't a place you could stop to say "hello," because her love language was to watch you consume a meal she had made with love---and sometimes way more time than you had planned on spending. In the words of Lynzee "You could not leave her house without a full belly." Even with all of the above involvements and responsibilities over the years, Lynn and Martha would venture out to all of the family's and students' events that they could manage, even when there were 5 celebrations across the state in 1 day. Lynn is a great sport, and if there were 2 things going on at the same time it was likely they would divide and conquer. They also planned trips for the crew, and hosted a number of grandkids in their home for different events many times, which they will fondly remember.

Martha gave the impression that she had infinite time for you. You were special and important to her, and she was Proud to be a part of your story. Those announcements of graduations, weddings, and newborns from former students and nieces and nephews hung on the fridge proudly for many months! Nothing brought Martha more joy, than a meal she could cook for the entire crew, to sit down to enjoy and to reminisce together creating new memories. If she had a strong point it was traditions. Family was everything to Martha, from her ancestry to her descendants. However, if you ever sat in her classroom making Christmas ornaments, or at her kitchen table enjoying something from the following list her family put together, then you know you were family, and you were loved too. We loved her cheeseburger soup or corn chowder, her lasagna, her prime rib and lobster with a crock pot full of butter, her mashed potatoes and gravy, her scalloped potatoes and ham, her creamed peas, her pancakes with homemade whipped cream with all the toppings, her egg bakes, her caramel rolls, her spritz cookies, her burnt cookies of all kinds, a Grandma Lamb bar, a Cherry berry on a cloud, a popcorn ball, her hot chocolate on the stove, her sherbet punch, and, of course, her homemade doughnuts, shoup noodles, and lefse.

Martha is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Lynn, of 50 years and her four sons and daughters-in-law; Kevin and Alyson (Solberg) Schepp of Bottineau (Their sons Dawson and Gavin), Kristen and Melissa (Diffely) Schepp, Minot (Their daughters and sons-in-law; Kinsey and Jaden Neshem, Megan and Kaylon Faul, and Lynzee), Kyle and Bonnie (Deaver) Schepp, Berthold (Their children Aubree, Lily, and Tucker), and Karson and Kristen (Casavant) Schepp, Kramer (Their children Daxton, Weston, Revel, and Zane); her mother-in-law, Janice Schepp (Rugby); Sisters-in-law, Carmelita Lamb, Edmond, OK, and Nancy Schepp, Bottineau, Barb Rollie, Buffalo, MN, and brothers-in-law Gary (Joyce) Schepp, Fargo, Neil (Kim) Schepp, Bottineau, Gene (Ruth) S, Gardner, Lyle (Jerylyn) Schepp, Maxbass; and several cousins, nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Martha was preceded in death by her parents Floyd and Dorothy Lamb, her brother L. Dean Lamb; and her father-in-law Edwin Schepp.

In the words that Martha's granddaughter Lynzee told her "friend" Huntyrr, "Christmas at Grandma's was more amazing than Disney World."  Martha's Christmas spirit rivaled Buddy the Elf himself. Her students were blessed to have Martha's enthusiasm for life be a part of their lives as well. Her love and light will be missed dearly earth-side. May we continue to make her proud, and enjoy seeing her spirit in lives she has touched.

Arrangements were with Nero Funeral Home in Bottineau.  Friends may sign the online register book at www.nerofuneralhome.net.