Learning new skills is nothing new for Martha Rodeseike.

That was really driven home when she was just 18 and was uprooted from her home in the Netherlands after World War II when her parents moved Martha and her four siblings to the United States. While many teenage girls would find this move daunting, Martha recalls the experience as the greatest adventure of her life.

She moved first to Milwaukee, where she met her husband, an electrical engineer, and had her daughter. The young family moved to Pennsylvania, but eventually she made a return to the continent of her birth. They lived in France and then England, but finally moved back to the States. That may explain why Martha now counts traveling among her many passions.

Before her first venture “across the pond,” Martha picked up needlework skills from her mother and grandmother. She now passes her love of the art to eager students every Monday and Wednesday at the Tallahassee Senior Center, where for the past seven years she has taught all forms of needlework, including crocheting, knitting, needlepoint, and quilting. As the class leader, Martha ensures supplies are available for the class and follows up on those who miss to make sure they are well.

Martha’s classes don’t just benefit her students, however. The classes have donated more than 350 lap blankets and other handmade goods to veterans, long-term care patients, and babies in neonatal care.

When she’s not helping others through her knitting, she may be at the bowling alley participating in league play. She is also a Gold medal winner in the 2016 Capital City Senior Games.

On how she stays active, Martha’s secret is simply: “Work – keep on working. Don’t sit at home.” She lives out this message by in all of her activities. Whatever the project, Martha Rodeseike is always ready and happy to learn!