Her family and friends heard it often—"Nothing is more important than family and community".  It was a deeply held axiom for Martha Itow Yamaki and served to guide her each day.  The lifelong community and political activist passed away on February  21 after a brief illness.  She was 88.Martha was born in Compton on June 24, 1922, one of seven children of Masakichi and Sumiye Itow.  After spending part of the war years in Utah, she returned to Los Angeles to work with the USO.  She said it was one of the things about which she was most proud.  She became a dental technician and raised her growing family.She was also soon deeply immersed in community life, participating in the Foster Parent program and taking in young children with no homes.  In the Crenshaw area of Los Angeles Martha was a driving force behind the PTA at Coliseum Street School.  When her children began attending Dorsey High School, she organized efforts to teach Japanese language as a regular part of the high school curriculum.  She was also active with the Montebello Women's Club and served as its president in 1961.  She actively spearheaded not just Club fundraising drives for charities like the City of Hope, but in the process, helped to rebuild post war Japanese American community in Los Angeles.  She was one of the first Nisei mothers to become involved in anti-drug abuse campaigns aimed at Japanese American youth.  Affectionately known as the founding mother, Martha worked with the Yellow Brotherhood in the 1960s and 1970s and opened her home to teens needing a place to stay.Martha was also involved in L.A. politics and local issues for which she received many honors and commendations from the city as well as organizations such as the United Way and American Red Cross.  Everyone knew there was an election when the lawn signs sprouted in front of her home.  She was a strong supporter of multiethnic coalitions in the Crenshaw area.  In the 1970s she helped to establish a Los Angeles City Council  10th District Steering Committee with other  Japanese Americans and African Americans in the neighborhood who were concerned about district needs. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley appointed Martha to the Rent Adjustment Commission in 1981.  She served under Mayors Bradley, Richard Riordan and James Hahn before retiring in 2003.In retirement, Martha continued to be involved in many pursuits and loved spending time with her three granddaughters and one grandson.   She enjoyed keeping up with community news, shopping for a great bargain and never passed up a good prime rib.Martha is survived by her four children, sons Michael and Clifford, daughters RoseMary and June, four grandchildren, sister Mary Jane Roalizo, sister-in-law Ruth Itow and numerous nieces and nephews.  Her husband Ken Yamaki, a veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, passed away in 2007.Friends are welcome to share in a memorial celebrating Martha's life on Saturday, March 12, 2011, 11am at Centenary United Methodist Church, 300 S. Central Ave. Los Angeles, Ca 90013    213-617-9097, with Reverend Mark Nakagawa officiating.   Burial services will be private.