Martha Klingler Shares Unique Childhood Experiences With Kenton Rotary

The Kenton Rotary Club heard from Martha Klingler, who shared her life experiences with members during a recent meeting.

Klingler’s mother, a registered nurse, and her father, a Lutheran pastor, met in a Springfield, Missouri, emergency room.

In 1968, her parents were called to be missionaries in West Africa, and she was born in Ghana and grew up in a small village and her mother assisted villagers with childbirth. 

Klingler recalled during her childhood, that it was common to have elephants walk through the back yard and encounter large spiders and even cobras. She said that the village was small and safe, where people shared everything and she did not have to worry about crime or her safety. 

In 1978, she moved with her parents to Togo where they were the 1^st Lutheran Missionaries in West Africa.  In the spring of 1987, she moved back to the United States and attended a boarding school.  It was 10-15 years before she was able to adapt to the hustle and bustle of the United States.  She came to Kenton to care for her aging mother-in-law almost 5 years ago.

Submitted by Sam Norris