Martha Wortham

Martha Mae Wortham, 83, died Sept. 5, 2016, at her daughter’s home in Thaxton. Her body will lie in repose at Coleman Funeral Home from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday and noon to 3 p.m. Friday. Visitation will be at Church of the Living God in Thaxton from 5 to 7 on Friday, with funeral services at the church at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by interment at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Survivors include daughters Mary Crudup (Dave) and Donna Fisher, both of Thaxton, and sons Robert Lee Wortham (Mary Helen) of Oxford, Calvin Wortham (Linda) of Thaxton, and Quay Lee Wortham (Susan) of Thaxton. She is also survived by nine grandchildren: Arnan Boles (Tonya) of Thaxton; Joe Cephas Wortham of Oxford; Shun Wortham of Oxford; Macedonia Woods (Kenny) of Thaxton; Narcissus Willis of Pensacola, Florida; Angel Boles of Oxford, LaCreasha Wortham of Oxford; Benjamin N. Fisher of Thaxton; and Avery J. Wortham of Tupelo. Her five great-grandchildren include Neal Willis Jr. and Laya Willis of Pensacola, Florida, and Malachi Boles, Alexandria Boles and Adain Boles, all of Oxford. Alma Ivy of Oxford was Mrs. Wortham’s daughter of the heart, and Robert Karnard Boles of Toccopola was her godson. Mrs. Wortham was preceded in death by her husband, Otis Wortham; her parents, John Ivy Russell and Lola Mae Wortham Russell; a daughter, Shelley Ruth Boles; and a son, Michael Lee Wortham. Memorial gifts may be made to the American Cancer Society. A native of Calhoun City, she worked in the garment industry and as a homemaker for her family, Martha Mae Wortham was also a retail merchandiser. She was recognized for 20 years’ employment at Walmart in Pontotoc. Her church home was Church of the Living God True Holiness in Thaxton, and she had served the Church of the Living God congregation in Corinth as pastor and bishop for two decades. Although Mrs. Wortham left school after the 7th grade, she greatly prized learning, culture and spirituality. “I remember her reading us stories she’d learned in school,” Mary Crudup notes. “She would sing a lot while she worked in the kitchen. On Wednesday and Friday nights, she’d turn the TV off and teach us Bible scriptures.” The shirt factory at which Mrs. Wortham worked when her children were young closed for two weeks for Christmas. “She’d buy oranges and apples and Brazil nuts, and she’d have lots of things baked to make sure we had things to serve visitors who dropped in,” Donna Fisher recalls. “The house smelled so good with baking. She was a really good homemaker.” “To come home from school and smell food cooking was the highlight of my day,” says Robert Lee Wortham. “A home-cooked meal from your mother’s kitchen is a real pleasure.” Bishop Calvin Wortham recollects his mother’s chocolate pies and the discipline she imposed both on her children and on herself. “She had a strong faith in God, and she always tried to instill that into us. She believed in tithing, and she taught us to tithe from the land and from industry,” he says. “She believed in cleanliness, and she believed in getting up early and not going back to bed until bedtime.” “At night she was always telling nursery rhymes, stories about when she was young, and old sayings they used to have,” says Quay Lee Wortham. “She taught the boys how to cook and clean in case our wives were to get sick. I’m glad she did that.” Mrs. Wortham’s children say illness may have reduced her energy, but it didn’t change her priorities. “She had a calm spirit,” Robert Lee Wortham says. “She insisted on going to church even when she didn’t feel good.” Calvin Wortham noted of his mother, “She was an example in faith – in sickness and in death.”

Martha Wortham

September 5, 2016

Explore Obituaries &
Upcoming Services