Washington died Dec. 31, 2010, surrounded by her family in Hovland, Minnesota, at the home of Lee and Daniel Ross, her daughter and son-in-law. She passed away peacefully looking out on Lake Superior. She was 93. She was a regular participant in Crossing Borders Studio Tour and contributed to the Empty Bowl event. She enjoyed driving the back roads of Cook County looking for moose, picking cranberries and stopping to enjoy the wildflowers. Martha was a nationally recognized potter, producing functional and sculptural pottery for more than 70 years. She was known for her animal sculptures, especially the owls she created. Her work is included in many museums and collections throughout America. She worked most of her life in the St. Paul, Minnesota area before moving to Shelton, Washington. Martha was a charter member of the Minnesota Crafts Council. An oral history of her life and a collection of her works are at the Minnesota Historical Society. The fact that she was still making wonderful pottery into the last year of her life was an amazing accomplishment and demonstrated the commitment to her creative spirit. Her talent will live on in all of the work she created and the impact she had on pottery in Minnesota, as she was certainly a trailblazer. Martha was born Jan. 26, 1917 in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, the daughter of Harry Edwin Jaques and Ethelyn Benedict Jaques. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Art from the Ceramic Engineering Department at Iowa State. She illustrated several of her father’s Pictured Key Nature Series books. Martha had a great love of nature and gardening. Martha is survived by children Kay (David) Bahan of Mechanicville, New York, Terry (Esfandiar) Ostovar of Asheville, North Carolina, Kent (Deborah) Cutkomp of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Lee (Daniel) Ross of Hovland, Minnesota; grandchildren Kayhan (Laura Robinson) Ostovar, Naseem Ostovar (Gideon) Alston, Payam Ostovar, Andrew Cutkomp and greatgrandsons Braden and Whalen Alston. She is also survived by her sisters Francesca Stoner of Brunswick, Maine, Jean LeMieux of Camino, California, and many nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her sister Mabel Cuthbert and her brother William G. Jaques. Martha Cutkomp was cremated at the Duluth Chapel of the Cremation Society of Minnesota. Memorial service will be held in the spring. Her family would like to express their appreciation for the wonderful care she received from Home Care and the Cook County Hospital staff and nurses.
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