Kleemeier was born as Martha Kix in Windfeld, a small town in Vlotho, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on 3 April 1913. Her mother died at an early age, and she assumed a parental role to her younger siblings whilst also helping on the family farm. She attended the second-oldest school in the nearby village of Valdorf.

Kleemeier and her husband, Heinrich, remodeled and moved into a house in Valdorf. The couple had four children: Two sons, Siegfried and Gerhard, and two daughters, Christel and Hanna. Kleemeier was widowed in February 1993.

In May 2010, aged 97, Kleemeier moved into a nursing home in Vlotho. At the time of her 106th birthday, she had outlived her two sons. Along with her two daughters, she had six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great-granddaughters. At the age of 107, she was reported to still be mentally sharp and can complete daily routines with little assistance.