Martha Jean (Blough) Fuhst

Martha Jean Fuhst (Blough), age 68, of Grand Haven, passed away surrounded by her loving family on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at Holland Hospital. She was born on February 26, 1957, in Saranac, MI, to the late Louis and Mollie (FitzSimmons) Blough.

As the youngest of nine children in a farming family, Martha cultivated a love for animals and nature from an early age. On top of her chores, she kept horses and rabbits to show in 4-H, competed in barrel-racing, and was a leader in Saranac High School's chapter of Future Farmers of America.

She later moved to Grand Rapids, MI, where she applied her considerable work ethic in a variety of administrative positions, including as a legal secretary and a medical filer. In 1989, Martha married Robert Fuhst, with whom she raised four children. In addition, she continuously sought new opportunities to grow professionally and earned several certifications while also making the Dean's List at Davenport University. Eventually Martha started her own medical billing company, where she acted as a consultant to help medical offices catch up on billing statements and graciously assisted patients in navigating their health insurance.

After work and faithfully attending her children's myriad of after school activities, Martha made the time to volunteer as a middle school girls' basketball coach for several seasons, where she helped young girls find confidence and competence on the court.

At home, Martha cared for a variety of pets, including: dogs, cats, birds, snakes, lizards, turtles, fish, and at one time, pet hissing cockroaches. Her garden was full of flowers, and her snack cupboard was always open to the neighborhood kids. In 2000, they moved to the shores of Crockery Lake, where she ensured there were many family gatherings. Family was very important to Martha, whether it was spontaneous family barbecues, holiday gatherings, or making their house a second home for grandchildren.

Martha and Rob relocated to Grand Haven shortly before retiring, and she quickly found hobbies to fill her time. She enjoyed traveling to Michigan beaches hunting Petoskey stones, which evolved into rock collecting, polishing, and shaping. Martha and Rob took frequent trips to Northern Michigan in search of rocks and lighthouses. One of her goals was to see every lighthouse in Michigan. They wanted to explore further horizons which then led to the purchase of their camper so they could take their adventures even further. She took several local classes in jewelry making, and she would incorporate metal work with her cut and polished stones.

More recently, Martha also started pyrography to further extend her skills. She maintained a large vegetable garden, and her family enjoyed her canned tomatoes and pickles through the winter.

Martha was a lifelong catholic, most recently, a parishioner at St. Patrick Church of St. Patrick- St. Anthony Parish in Grand Haven. She often found solace and strength in the rosary and was an active participant in a Prayer Warrior Group through her church.

Martha was a member of the Grand Haven Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie # 925, which is where she first heard of Women With Knives (WWK), a West Michigan based all-female knife throwing league. After a couple of sessions, she knew she'd found her latest passion and threw herself into the sport. Martha converted a part of the pole barn into a practice range and competed under the moniker Molly Hatchet with a local team. She traveled to DangerFest in Indiana twice and once to Blades Out or Bust in Texas to compete with knife and hatchet throwers from around the world. She found an outlet for her competitive spirit in WWK and a diverse community of women who uplifted her and challenged her to be her best.

Martha will be lovingly remembered and missed by her husband of 36 years, Robert Fuhst; her four children: Jeremy Cain, Sarah (Mitchell) Grohowski, Jacob (Rebecca) Cain, and Mallory (Luis) Fuhst; her eight grandchildren: Dakota, Olivia, Jacson, Asher, Charlotte, Annabel, Orion, and Scarlett; her two great-granddaughters: Shandiin and Sakari; her four siblings: Joan (Denny) Sison, Ruth Ann (Roger) Rowley, Phyllis (Jerry) Huver, Angela (Scott) Slaght; sister-in-law, Veronica Blough; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Mollie Blough; and siblings: Arthur, Carmine, Roger, and Dale.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Martha will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 20, 2026, at St. Patrick Church of St. Patrick - St. Anthony Parish (920 Fulton St., Grand Haven, MI, 49417) with Fr. Norm Droski officiating. Visitations will be held on Wednesday, February 18th, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (with Rosary Service beginning at 7:30 p.m.), and on Thursday, February 19th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., all held at Klaassen Family Funeral Home (1500 Robbins Rd., Grand Haven, MI, 49417).

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or Gift of Life-Michigan.

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