Martha "Mardi" Ponader's Obituary
Martha (Mardi) Downs Ponader, a devoted wife, mother, educator, ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church, and tireless servant to her community, passed away peacefully on June 28, 2026, at the age of 93. Born on June 20, 1933, in Sturgis, Michigan, Mardi lived a life defined by family, compassion, faith and dedication to others.
Mardi grew up in Howe, Indiana, on the campus of Howe Military Academy, where her mother taught and her father served as principal. She was baptized at St. James Chapel in St. Mark's parish by her grandfather, who was then rector of the school, and was confirmed there in 1945 by the Rt. Rev. Campbell Gray, Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Indiana. After graduating from Lima School in Howe in 1951, she attended Grove City College in Pennsylvania before transferring to Indiana University in Bloomington, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing Therapy in 1955. A lifelong learner, she later pursued graduate studies at Christian Theological Seminary and Butler University, earning a Master of Arts in Personality Theory and Religion in 1984.
On June 23, 1956, Mardi married Wayne Carl Ponader at St. James Chapel in Howe, Indiana, and together they raised four sons in Indianapolis. She and Wayne, both enthusiasts for escaping Midwestern winters, first purchased a second home on Sanibel Island, Florida in 1978 and became permanent residents there in 1995. Wayne and Mardi celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary just days before Mardi’s death, devoted as ever to each other.
Mardi’s professional life was one of faithful service to her community. She began her career as a speech and hearing therapist in the Elkhart County Schools, working later in the Indianapolis Public Schools, and taught preschoolers with severe hearing impairments at the Indianapolis Speech and Hearing Center. She served as a neuropsychological technician from 1978 to 1983 and completed clinical pastoral education as a chaplain intern at LaRue Carter Psychiatric Hospital. The crowning achievement of her spiritual journey came in 1988, when she was ordained as a Permanent Deacon in the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Indianapolis — a calling she fulfilled at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Indianapolis and later at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel Island.
Mardi’s volunteer contributions in Indianapolis were vast. At St. Alban's she served on the Vestry, founded the parish outreach program SAINT (St. Alban's In Touch), served as President of the Episcopal Church Women, and was the first woman to serve as assistant to the celebrant. At the diocesan level, she served on the Women's Steering Committee, as Diocesan UTO Representative, on the Board of Waycross Camp and Conference Center, and as a delegate to the Triennial Convention in 1982 and 1985. She also served on the boards of Fletcher Place Community Center and Central Indiana Radio Reading, Inc., and as President of the Indianapolis Alumnae of Delta Gamma.
As she spent more time in Sanibel, Mardi likewise embraced opportunities to serve her second home. She was a Docent at the Sanibel Historical Village & Museum beginning in 1995, edited and published the museum's In House Bulletin and chaired the Antique Quilt Show for four years. She performed in the historical vignette "Sanibel's Founding Mothers," served on the Sanibel Historical Commission, and was a member of the Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation, BIG Arts, the Sanibel Public Library Association, and the Sanibel Community Association.
One of Mardi’s many passions was tennis, playing throughout most of her adult life, first at the Indianapolis Racquet Club, then at the Dunes in Sanibel. Her friends will remember weekly games of bridge where Mardi’s competitive streak distinguished her, invariably followed, whenever she hosted, by her crowd-pleasing frozen lime pie dessert – known affectionally as “green stuff” by her boys.
Mardi’s other passions included gardening, books, crossword puzzles and travel. Her love of gardening was reflected in the beautiful gardens she created at her homes and the arrangements on her kitchen table, where the fruits of her labor were often shared with family and friends. Her love of reading and crossword puzzles meant there was always a stack of books and crosswords by her side, and trips to the Sanibel Public Library with "Gram" became a cherished part of grandchildren’s visits to Sanibel.
Mardi enjoyed traveling with Wayne across the country and abroad. Yet nothing seemed to bring her greater joy than reminiscing with her boys about their many family trips together in their motorhomes and their wonderful—if occasionally harrowing—adventures boating on the Great Lakes.
Mardi is survived by her husband, Wayne Carl Ponader; her four sons, Carl (Theresa), Erick (Wendy), Jonathan (Linda), and David (Shelley), grandchildren Margaret Ponader Haylon, Christopher Wayne Ponader, Nikolaus Storrs Ponader, Tristan James Ponader, Collin Wayne Ponader, Jonathan Samuel Ponader, Isabella Syperek Ponader and Luciana Capla Ponader, and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, grandson, Andrew Downs Ponader and sister, Gretchen Downs Hawkins.
Martha touched countless lives through her ministry, teaching, volunteerism, and faith. She leaves behind a legacy of love, service, and grace that will be long remembered. Should you wish, gifts in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, https://www.alz.org.
A memorial service at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel Island will be announced by the family at a later date.
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