tough cookie martha cramblit Port Sanilac 4 <strong>winter</strong> <strong>2016</strong> BlueWaterWoman.com by Patti Samar REditor’s Note: In this issue, the two feature stories are written as personal essays. Remember those cartoons where the one good guy wrestles down a whole herd of bad guys and hurts them so badly they are pretty much begging for mercy? Yeah, well, meet my friend Martha Cramblit. She did that once. And nope, I am not making that up. And she sure isn’t either. To say Martha has led an interesting, colorful life is an understatement. Originally from Sandusky, she now resides in Port Sanilac, but did live for a stint in Colorado and California. A single mother, she raised her three sons on her own from their young childhood without help from their father. She always made sure they had a roof over their heads and food on the table. To do it, she sometimes worked multiple jobs and far in excess of 50 or 60 hours a week. And her sons are the light of her life. Her oldest is a military veteran who returned from his tours of duty in the Middle East suffering from <strong>post</strong>traumatic stress disorder. As a result, Martha has poured her heart into helping him adjust to life stateside again and working with the Veteran’s Administration to help him receive the care he needs. Martha’s middle son is developmentally disabled and lives at home with her. She lights up when she talks about him, but that makes her a full-time caregiver. Her youngest son is a student at Saginaw Valley State University in pursuit of a graduate degree. Martha works full time and has suffered a series of health set-backs in recent years, as well. To say she has a lot on her plate is another understatement. But that is life as Martha knows it. Martha came into my life when she adopted a cat I knew of who was in desperate need of a good home. A mutual friend connected us and Martha friended me on Facebook so I could follow the life of my kitty friend. However, the blessing has been following Martha’s life. I gathered, from what I saw on Facebook, that her life had not always been easy, so I probably wasn’t completely surprised when she shared the story of taking down the three men who attempted to rob the gas station/grocery store where she was working alone at night in a rough area of Denver. Martha was then married and she was working the late shift to help make ends meet for their young family. “I was working seven days a week, nine hour shifts,” she said. “I got quite an education. There were low-rider gangs that came into the store frequently. I got attacked one night, but I fought them off. I gave two of them concussions.” She chuckled when she noted, “The cops came back a week later and told me, ‘Word’s out on the street that you’re pretty tough. Word’s out not to touch the store, at least not when you’re here.’” However, the word on the street didn’t last forever. One night when she was locking up the store, someone grabbed her to rob her and, well, Martha struck again. “I beat him up,” she said, noting that she grew up on a farm with a slew of brothers, so she had learned young how to hold her own when a man twice her size came around. Not long after that, Martha left her husband and returned to Michigan to be near family. “I left everything behind,” she said. “It was not a good situation. I came home to Michigan with my kids in tow. I got a job at a factory.” While working full time and caring for her children, Martha returned to school. She attended a business career program in Cass City and earned an associates degree. “I was working midnights at the factory and I would go to school during the day,” she said. That eventually led to a job at Prudential Financial and then moved on to Mutual of Omaha, which sold similar products. While there, she earned a securities license. She now works for a local insurance company. Off and on throughout the years, she worked in factories, waitressed, worked in dental offices and even had a route selling office machines. “Most of the time I was raising kids, I was working two or three jobs,” she said. “I just thank God I had the kids to keep me grounded. I’ve always just tried to do the best I could.” And clearly, Martha has more than succeeded.
OF COURSE I LOOK FABULOUS! I SHOPPED AT SUZANNE‛S! STOP IN & SEE OUR CRUISE WEAR & WINTER SALES! SUZANNE’S Ladies Fashions 325 Huron Ave. Downtown Port Huron (810) 364-5422 www.SuzannesFashion.com <strong>winter</strong> <strong>2016</strong> BlueWaterWoman.com 5
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