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Martha Christine Landsness, 80, of Osceola, formerly of Sioux Rapids, died Nov. 5, 2026, at Southern Hills Care Center in Osceola.
Visitation will take place Friday, Nov. 13, from 5-7 p.m. at Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids. Private graveside services will be held in LoneTree Cemetery in Sioux Rapids.
Martha Christine Torkelson Landsness was born Pamela Kay Morse on March 26, 1946, in Des Moines. In September 1946, at the age of six months, Martha was welcomed into the Sioux Rapids home of Chris and Ethyl (Evanson) Torkelson. They named her Martha Christine and in September 1947, the adoption was finalized. Martha had a wonderful childhood, with lots of attention from her dad and mom and aunts Bernice and Rose Evanson. At the time of her welcome into the family, her parents owned and operated the Sioux Locker plant and the Sioux Rapids Steak House.
The family moved to Phoenix, Ariz., for about five years during Martha’s youth, where they spent time with Ethyl’s sister and husband, Gladys and Harris Hyllested. Upon returning to Sioux Rapids, Chris and Ethyl opened Torkelson’s Flower Shop. Martha graduated from Sioux Rapids Community School in 1964.
Martha married Leroy Landsness in 1964 and they had two daughters, Melissa Renee and Laurie Ann Landsness. Martha and Leroy later divorced. Her daughters were the light of Martha’s life, they and their families were what she lived for every day. She was so proud of all they accomplished in their lives and of their families. Martha’s mother, Ethyl, passed away in July 1977. After which, Martha spent time taking care of her dad Chris. They enjoyed many fun and wonderful years together before he passed away in February 1993.
In 1978, Martha renewed her acquaintance with Jerry Burkhart from Webb. They spent the next 18½ years together, raising his son Clayton Burkhart and daughter Josy Burkhart, and Martha’s daughters. During this time they purchased an acreage east of Sioux Rapids and lived there for several years. In June of 1996, Jerry died suddenly of a heart attack. He was just 56. It was a terrible loss for Martha and their children. An even greater loss for Martha was the sudden death of her beloved daughter, Melissa, at the age of 50, on Dec. 1, 2014.
Martha worked many jobs while raising her girls, and had some favorites. She tended bar at Little Sioux Country Club with her uncle Eddie Torkelson for about IO years. She worked in all the bars downtown at one time or another, the Chief's, The Clubhouse, The Office, Valley Lanes. She also worked at Valley Liquor for Helen Ihry for seven years, and she was a federal meat inspector in Storm Lake, inspecting meat at the pork plant and the turkey plant. She got her “dream job” in 1996 at the Sioux Rapids Memorial Library.
Martha loved to read from the time she was small and spent hours as a child in the library. Through her hard work and dedication, she won national and state awards for the library, as well as raising money, writing grants and doing lots of programming. She was on the Northwest Region Advisory Council for several years and was president of the Buena Vista Library Association many times over the years. She did many presentations at service clubs in Sioux Rapids, and she helped in many other libraries in the area with operation questions, yearly reports and anything else they asked her for. Martha loved the library and even though the job was harder than imagined, she loved it all.
Martha is survived by her loving daughter and son-in-law, Laurie and Justin Besco; grandchildren: Evan Christopher Maynes (wife Abigail) and Sydney Grace Wederquist (husband Keegan); great-grandchildren, Nora Noel Wederquist and Baker Lee Maynes; and a host of friends.
She was preceded in death by her life partner Jerry Burkhart; daughter Melissa Maynes; parents, Chris and Ethyl Torkelson; her aunts: Rose Evanson, Bernice Evanson, Gladys (Evanson) and her husband, Harris Hyllested; all her Torkelson aunts and uncles: Effie Hanson, Omer and Kate Torkelson, Julius and Margaret Torkelson, Harold and Edna Torkelson, Eddie and Mavis Torkelson, Elizabeth and Lou Neubacher and Margaret and Mick Green.
