Martha Paine Crocker

To the great sadness of her husband, family and friends, Martha Paine Crocker died at home on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at the age of 72.

Martha brought warmth to every space. She was cheerful, kind, feisty and loving. Born in 1952, and nicknamed Muff, she was the fourth of five children who grew up in Lunenburg, Massachusetts. Her parents, Big and Jeanne Crocker, were outdoors people, so most of her youth was spent outside which likely influenced her study of botany and her lifelong devotion to wildflowers and gardening. As a family, they were always active, which she took to heart.

During her high school years, Muff met Tom Leonard, and for the next 56 years they were side by side. Together they explored life, often on their motorcycle, and indulged their love of skiing during the winter months at mountains in Vermont, Utah and Montana. Once they committed to the Rockies year-round, they settled in Utah and they lovingly built a small farm where they grew alfalfa, vegetables, and flowers, and kept bees. Muff loved her skiing years — patrolling, instructing and serving as a guide. Everywhere she lived, she made new friends, and when their fellow ski patrollers were far from home during holidays, Muff and Tom would welcome them for some home cooking and camaraderie.

Her travels with Tom were influenced by the sports they loved. She windsurfed, hiked, and mountain biked and enjoyed the peace and solitude of cross-country skiing. She often guided cross-country skiers into Yellowstone National Park where they could see its astonishing beauty up close. Once the snow was gone, Muff’s hands were back in the soil.

Her sister recalls, “When Muff came to visit she would go outside on day one, and return with a simple, lovely handful of wildflowers, find a container, and place the bouquet carefully in a thoughtful spot. It didn’t have to be a centerpiece. Often it landed in a visible nook – somewhere I would never have thought to put flowers — and it was perfectly sweet.” Muff was like that. She humbly brought brightness and joy to the corners and small spaces of life.

To know Muff was to understand that her family and friends were her greatest treasure. She was creative, had a sneaky sweet-tooth, and got along with just about everybody. Her artistic dabbling, her wonderful sense of humor, and the many small gifts she loved to wrap whimsically with beautiful ribbon, stickers, and sparkles were uniquely her. She cherished time with her loved ones and good friends and had an unexpected sass that often left us laughing so hard we cried.

Martha chose her own path. Always a bit counter-cultural, she was not impressed by material trappings but valued the simple acts and small gestures that make up a fulfilling life. She was an avid reader, a kind soul and a cherished partner, sister, aunt and friend. The day before she died, she looked out at the farm and said quietly, “I’ve had a wonderful life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

To borrow from Wendell Berry, her favorite author: may she come into the peace of wild things…and the presence of still water…and rest in the grace of the world and be free.

Martha will be dearly missed by her husband, Thomas S. Leonard, siblings Susanne Richey, David Crocker, Lucy Abisalih and their families, and her nieces and nephews - all of whom she loved very much.

If you would like to honor Martha, please support the Ogden Valley Land Trust.

A celebration of life will be planned in the coming months.