Marchêta Bartels, age 79, of Hudson, died Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at her home.

She was born February 1, 1935 in Andover, Southampton, England, the daughter of Frank Richard and Kathleen Avis (Cooke) Sanderson. She married Melvin H. Bartels on August 15, 1953 at St. Nicholas Church in Newbury, Berkshire, England. The couple met while Melvin served in the US Army during the Korean War and following his service, they returned to the United States.

Marchêta worked as a nurse’s aide at Schoitz Hospital and was a sales clerk at the JC Penney store in Waterloo. She later worked at Saylor’s Southside convenience store in Hudson. Marchêta was a member of the Hudson United Methodist Church.

She treasured time spent with her family, especially her grandchildren. She enjoyed a variety of activities in her life including bowling, gardening, sewing, reading, and traveling. Marchêta was a talented artist and excelled at drawing, painting and floral arranging.

Survivors include her husband, Melvin of Hudson; a son, John (Amy) Bartels of Oklahoma City, OK; 4 daughters, Cheryl Bartels of Hudson, Angela (Dave) Klippel of Shawnee, KS, Sheila Steffen (Chris Reynolds) of Independence, IA and Jill (Joe) Arquette of Athens, GA; 9 grandchildren, Jacob, Bryan, David, Paul, Sean, Taylor, Nick, Caitlin and Ian; and 2 great grandchildren, Mara and Paige.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Malcolm Sanderson.