Mary Lou Martin

Mary Lou Martin

When my daughter, lightheartedly, suggested I write my obituary, I, seriously, decided it was a good idea. It will help my family at a busy time. I was born in Wood River, IL, on February 11, 1930, to a young minister and his wife, John U. Phelps, and Edna Lashmit Phelps.

My sister, Gene Rebecca (Jim) Hale, and my sister, Emily Ann (Danny) Nunn, joined us later. Our family remained bound together in love throughout our lives. I graduated from high school in Brownstown, IN, and attended college at Johnson Bible College, now Johnson University, in Knoxville, TN. Soon after arriving at college, I met Bob Martin, a very serious young ministerial student. We quickly became friends. Three years later he asked me for our first date, and we married two weeks after I graduated.

The Lord enriched our lives through the birth/lives of our children, Stephen Paul (Phyllis) Martin and Sarah Elizabeth (Paul) Kelley. Just when I thought life couldn't be sweeter, the Lord sent grandchildren: Joshua (Shannon) Kelley, Rachel Kelley, Nathanael (Ashley) Kelley, Elizabeth Kelley (Jacob) Matlock, Tabitha Martin, and Abigail Martin (Greg) Moyers. They piled on the blessings by giving us 13 great-grandchildren.

Bob and I served and were served by Christian churches in southern Indiana, State College, PA, Manhattan, KS, and Knoxville, TN. While living in Manhattan, I earned 2 additional degrees at Kansas State University.

For 28 years Bob taught Bible and Theology at Johnson. I taught first grade in a public school. After retiring, I taught Children's Literature at the college. We lived in a historic home on campus and delighted in relationships with other faculty/staff members, and with the students who now serve the Lord throughout the world. In 2003, we retired to Clemmons, NC, where both my parents had grown up, and I had visited relatives each summer when I was a child. I was lovingly received into the family of Pinedale Christian Church.

Jesus, my parents, my granddaughter Rachel, my husband, and my two sisters have already joyfully greeted me in my new home in heaven, August 4, 2022. Throughout my life, I saw Jesus with the eyes of my heart. Now, as you read this, I see Him face to face.

A private graveside service was held.  A service to celebrate Mary Lou's life will be held at 3:00 pm on Friday, October 14, 2022, at Pinedale Christian Church.