Martha Jane Schaap

Martha Jane Schaap, 82, passed away on March 28th in Denver, CO.

Marti was born in Rensselaer, Indiana to Raymond C Schaap and Alberta Klomparens on May 8, 1943. Marti’s father Raymond, and his brother Theodore, immigrated from the Netherlands to Holland, Michigan, where they attended seminary at Hope College to become ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1932, at age 23, Raymond married Alberta Klomparens, a dairy farmer’s daughter from Indiana. Marti was born in 1943. She had two older brothers: Alvin and Clinton. 

Marti graduated from Butterworth Nursing School in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1965. That same year, she married Robert H Tinker. Their son Michael was born in Holland, Michigan in 1968. Marti and Bob moved to Colorado Springs in 1969. Their daughter Joni was born at Fort Carson Army Hospital in 1970. 

Marti worked for many years as a nurse at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs. Around 1976, she returned to school and earned a degree in Arts Administration from Colorado Women’s College in Denver, graduating in 1980. She then worked a series of interesting jobs in Colorado Springs, including as the Executive Secretary of the Colorado Springs Symphony, Director of Performing Arts for Youth Organization, and Director of the American Heart Association in Colorado Springs. In 1998, Marti returned to nursing. She worked as a hospice nurse for 22 years, retiring in 2020. In 2021, she moved to Montrose to be closer to Joni and her grandchildren Sadie, Mesa, and Sage. In 2022, Marti moved to Denver, where Mike lives.

Marti loved music. She became a musician when she was just a girl, playing organ in her father’s churches. She was a great piano player and had a lovely voice. She sang and performed with the Colorado Springs Choral for many years. She loved gardening. Her backyard garden on Arcadia Street was beautiful, expansive, and legendary. She was an avid reader. She had many friends, loved them all, kept them close. She met with her friends often to share wine and laughter. 

Marti is survived by her children Mike and Joni, and her grandchildren Sadie, Mesa, and Sage.