In 1930, Alfred and Myrtle Faulkner were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Martha Frances; my father's only sister. She grew up in the time of Shirley Temple curls, and indeed, had them herself. She was a pure delight to her parents: joined at her mother's hip but wrapped around her father's little finger.
Her parents often had single teachers living with them. And once, they had a teacher named Ms Masterson. According to my grandmother, the first words out of Martha's mouth were: "Masterson, pass them peas"! LOL
She was blessed with a great beauty but an even more beautiful personality. She had a delightful laugh and everyone loved to be around her.
Here she is posing with her parents and brother, in the early 40's.
She grew up in northwest Alabama and went to school at Judson. She met her future husband, Bill, in Eutaw, Alabama where her father had a car dealership. She and Bill were married at Strawberry Hill, his parent's home outside of Eutaw, in the early fifties. The following years saw the birth of their two daughters Patricia and Linda. Bill initially was in the navy and that took them to Pensacola. After his service they settled in Decatur, Alabama where he began a construction business and soon, they welcomed the birth of their son Grant.
Here she is at Strawberry Hill on her wedding day.
As the years came and went, Bill and Martha moved to Georgia where Bill's job took him and their children grew up there. Here she is with her daughter Linda and son Grant, along with her nephew Al and niece Rose - and her parents.
Martha was so much like her mother in that she was such a lady. She adored her parents and treated them with the respect that they deserved. She was a wonderful mother to her children, always so positive. In fact, according to her son, Grant:
"She was so accepting of everyone (nonjudgemental). She had a silly personality and taught her children and grandchildren to laugh at themselves. But most of all, she made everyone feel like they were her favorite - her favorite child, grandchild, niece, nephew or friend."
And to echo that, her granddaughter, Kimberly said:
"Moye (what her grandchildren called her) had the best personality. Everyone loved being around her. She made all my friends feel like they were family. They all called her Moye. She made everyone of her grandchildren feel like they were her favorite. And she would tell you no different.".
And I can attest to that because I thought I was her favorite!
She just had that way about her. I remember when I was only 12, I went to stay with her and my cousins for some time and went home on the train. From my earliest memories, there was always "Aunt Martha". In fact, she was right outside the door as I was born. She heard my first cry. And many many years later, as she was so sick and in the bed, she held my hand and told me that it was she that took me to the doctors on my eighth day of life for my little boy surgery. I can remember one time, I must have only been two or three and she tried to explain to me how someone was "on their way" when I saw that they were on the phone. I witnessed, my whole life, her kind and respectful way with her own parents. With her children. With me.
This picture, below, is a testament to Aunt Martha's personality. The young man on the far right was not Aunt Martha's natural born son. His name is Shannon. But here he is, with two of her children at her second wedding. He practically grew up in her home, having been treated as if he was one of her own. I'm sure Shannon loved her like the rest of us did. And I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't think he was her favorite!
Here she is with her husband Bill and their son Grant.
Martha and Bill were married for 33 years. During that time they saw the birth not only of their three children but also of their first three granddaughters. Her daughter Linda had moved to New Orleans after college and her son Grant was in college when one day, tragedy struck. She and Bill were painting their new house. She was on one wall painting and he on another. All of a sudden she heard a thud. Bill had suffered a heart attack and immediately passed away.
With all of her own children out of the house, she immediately moved from Georgia to be near her parents. She and Bill owned a home in Decatur anyway and so she put their new house on the market and moved to be close to her parents.
For the most part, she had always been a stay at home wife and mother, LIKE her mother before her. But when she moved back home, in her early fifties, she found a job and started a life on her own.
After a year or two, she received a call from an old friend of her's and Bill's: Ray Harper. Years earlier, she and Bill and Ray and his wife Lois were friends together. Ray's wife Lois had recently passed away and so Ray had decided to give Martha a call. They had a brief courtship and were married in 1986, three years after losing her first husband.
Here is Grant, her son, giving her away at her wedding to Ray, held in her brother and sister-in-law's house.
Wasn't she beautiful!!
Initially, Ray and Martha moved away to Georgia and then to Texas, where Ray's job took them. But finally, Ray retired and they decided to move back to Alabama. And so they settled back in Decatur.
The following years of the 90's saw the birth of a whole set of new grandchildren. Martha's two youngest children had five children between them during that time and Ray's son had two AND Martha's two oldest grandchildren had children so the 90's were very busy for Martha and her family. Martha and Ray settled into retirement life: bowling teams, bridge games, travel etc. During those years, she would travel to Charlotte, where her son and his family lived and to New Orleans where her daughter Linda and her family lived. Pat, her oldest daughter lived just a few minutes from her. So those years were filled with family and travel.
And on her 70th birthday, she was surprised with a birthday party at Calloway Gardens. Her children had secretly asked all of her family and friends to write a short memory about Martha. And they were all put into a book and presented to her for her birthday.
One day, she was in New Orleans at her daughter's and she broke a bone. And then another. Upon tests, it was discovered that she had Multiple Myeloma , a cancer of the plasma cells. She did well for a while. But in 2006, her husband Ray passed away and after his death, her cancer became very serious.
Visiting her in her home, she told me that she was ready and did not fear death. Close to the end, she went to live with her devoted daughter, Pat, who saw to it that her mother was taken care of with love and attention.
She tried a bone marrow transplant but it wasn't successful.
And so,in February of 2008, she went into a coma from which she didn't awake. We were all gathered around her bedside. We had been there the whole day. Linda had gotten up in the bed with her mother and rubbed her brow and told her how much she loved her. We didn't know if Aunt Martha knew it or not.
But that evening, just a little after 6:00 pm, Grant stepped up and told his mother that she could let go if she wanted to. Within a minute or two, she passed on. Isn't that interesting. I believe she heard her son. She probably knew we were all there.
78 years of kindness, of sweetness and beauty had come to an end.
My cousins gave me and my brother the opportunity to speak some loving words at her funeral. And for my part, I gave an analogy of a beautiful portrait being on display in The Great Museum of life, for 78 years. And from that analogy, I wrote the following poem in honor of my beloved Aunt. It's not going to win any honors but it did come from my heart.
The Portrait
With the fire's burning embers,
came a dream I still remember.
In The Great Museum, I dreamed,
The High Curator to Martha did gleam
"To earth's museum, I want you to go
to paint your portrait to share and to show".
So off she went with canvas in hand
to share her beauty with a sad, sad land.
She took her brush and struck her first hue.
With love and devotion, she strove to pursue
a painting of beauty, of kindness and light.
These things for sure remained in her sight.
Day after day, she continued her goal
till the portrait was completed and whole.
To earth's museum, her portrait was taken -
the command from The Curator, never forsaken.
As the songs of the angels were chanted and sung,
she mounted the frame and the portrait was hung.
For many a year the portrait did glow.
To those all around, her beauty did show.
To stand at an angle would alter its sight,
changing its color but never its light.
Some saw its kindness and others its strength
while beauty was seeped from its every length.
No matter the view, one thing was for sure:
its love and affection did truly endure.
And finally came that edict above
to return that portrait so full of love.
With song and with chant, the angels did rain
on the Great Museum again and again .
And so that great portrait was placed and was hung
as poems and songs were chanted and sung.
And then she rested, that portrait above,
that portrait of light, of kindness and love.
And from this dream, I have come to see:
my own little portrait is waiting on me.
While others may donate a brush or a pen,
Tis I who decide the view of all men.
Alfred Talmadge Faulkner III
In honor of Aunt Martha, considering her positive nature, here is a poem that epitimizes her attitude. Her glass was always "half full"
She was truly a portrait of love.
_____
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