Flora Patsy (Hall) Martin passed away at home Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022. She was born in Viper, Ky., on Feb. 5, 1926. From ages 13–18, Pat attended Pine Mountain Settlement School, a boarding school in Kentucky, where she first met her future husband, W. David Martin. She taught folk dance at the John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C., as a teenager. It was wartime when Pat attended Wheaton College in Illinois. One summer she worked in a munitions factory in New Jersey to earn money for college, until her parents made her quit.
In 1946, David returned home from service in the Navy and asked Pat to marry him. As was custom, they rang the bell in Blanchard’s Tower at Wheaton to announce their engagement. They were married in the chapel at Pine Mountain on April 5, 1947. They took a sleeper train to Iowa to begin their married life.
Pat and David settled in Randolph County, Indiana, and had five children: David Alfred Martin (Cecilia), Doris M. Myers (Tom Kubota), Rebecca L. Estros (Robert, deceased), Richard A. Martin (Penny) and Mary Lin O’Donnell (Michael, deceased).
Pat completed her education at Ball State University and taught at schools in Williamsburg and Lynn, Ind., and at Union School in Modoc, Ind.; she retired from Union in 1991. After retirement, Pat and David took up ballroom and polka dancing. They bought a motor home and traveled across the U.S.,and took many cruises. The two of them set foot in every state of the Union save one.
Pat was proceeded in death by David in 2016. She is survived by her sister Susan Williams; her children; eight grandchildren: David Andrew Martin, Shannon McClain (Carlton), Karen Difiore (Mike), Lisa Kaminski (Mark Large), Holly Justus, Tyler Martin, Scott Catey (Misty) and Julie Huser (Matthew); and 16 (plus five step-) great-grandchildren.
In 1944, Pat wrote a poem “Two Paths”; it reads in part: “Always, when some part of life has come to a close, there is the silent recalling of the past—old acquaintances, … laughter, sorrow—all blending to make life. Some find a joy in seeking out these treasured stores, viewing them with soft eyes and glowing faces. Others dare not look over these fragments of yesterday, for there is a sadness in knowing these happy days will not be lived again. But I have thought about that time when I shall be looking back, … pondering and weighing each part with care—friendships, disappointments, peace, love—I used to think it would hurt; now I know it never shall, for I have had a fleeting look at the path that lies ahead.”
Dearly loved by her family, Pat is on another “path that lies ahead” now. We will miss her, but the legacy of her love of learning and adventure will live on in us.
Visitation will be 3 to 5 PM on Saturday, April 23, at Culberson Funeral Home, Hagerstown. Private services will be at the convenience of the family. Burial will be in Mill Springs National Cemetery, Nancy, KY.
The family asks that memorials be sent in her name to Pine Mountain Settlement School, 36 State Hwy. 10, Bledsoe, KY 40810.
Online condolences may be left at www.culbersonfh.com