Thelma L. Martin

Thelma Louise Martin, 94, of Berrien Springs passed away Wednesday, October 18, 2017, after a brief illness.

She was born Thelma Louise Barnes on January 12, 1923, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the eldest daughter in a family of 10 siblings.  She married the love of her life, Clarence Martin, in 1945.  When he returned from World War II, they started their family and had their only child in 1948.  In 1963 the family moved to Berrien Springs where she worked at Essex Wire.

She loved spending time in her garden with her roses and also growing vegetables.  She was an avid birdwatcher.  Thelma was a homebody who enjoyed cooking, sewing, and baking.  She also helped raise her granddaughter.  She led a long, happy life and will be greatly missed by those who loved her.

She is survived by her son, Stephen Martin; her granddaughter, Cassie Martin (Mark Sprague); her two sisters:  Gladys (Bud) Moore and Bonnie (George) McKenzie; her great-grandchildren, Ava and Harrison Sprague; sister-in-law, Karen Barnes; and brother-in-law, Lewis Jarvis.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence Martin in 1994; brothers, Norman Barnes and Charles Barnes Jr.; sisters, Ida (Richard) Schrider, Mary (Lewis) Jarvis, Marie (Paul) Sprouse, Gertrude (Jim) Butcher, and Betty (Guy) Stephens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to your local hospice care center.

Online messages and memories may be shared at www.allredfuneralhome.com.