Former longtime Pacific Palisades resident Martha Madden Mohr passed away Monday, October 23 in Spokane, Washington. She was 83 and had been battling a long illness. Martha loved the feel of Pacific Palisades and she focused on raising a family, running a business, enjoying picnics on the beach and watching the sun set in the ocean. She and her husband, Richard, loved to travel (especially to London) and all things British. A year after Richard’s death in 2002 she moved to Spokane to be close to her son and his family. Martha was born September 12, 1923 on a farm near Kingman, Indiana. She attended Indiana University and graduated in 1945 with a business degree. She married Richard Mohr of Indianapolis in 1947, and they moved to Southern California in 1950. Together, they founded International Bookfinders, an innovative out-of-print mail order book search service. They moved to the Palisades in 1959 and worked out of their home on upper Chautauqua, using the cherished Palisades Post Office “Box One” as their business address. At first, their company focused on locating hard-to-find books for individual customers but over the years they began amassing impressive collections of books on a single topic and selling them to universities and libraries. International Bookfinders specialized in Western Americana. Martha is survived by her son, Mark Mohr (wife Tami) and her grandchildren, Kellen and Kylie. Private services will be held at a later date. Donations may be sent in memory of the Madden family to the Rush Creek Cemetery, 11052 N. B’dale Road, Bloomingdale, Indiana 47832.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
