Martha Jo Rutherford's Obituary
Martha Jo Cooke Rutherford, beloved mother, grandmother, cousin, and friend, died on January 14 in Tyler. She was 88 years old.
Martha Jo was born on May 1, 1937, in Navasota, Texas, the only child of Charles Edwin and Martha Lieb Cooke. She is a 5th-generation Texan. She attended Ashbel Smith Elementary, Horace Mann Junior High, and Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, Texas.
Martha Jo attended Baylor University, where she found lifelong friends and fell in love with history and English literature. She graduated from Baylor in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She then moved to Longview, Texas, where she met Joyce Arthur Rutherford at a Latin American dance class that was offered to Texas Eastman employees. Six months later, on July 23, 1960, Martha Jo and Joyce married at Memorial Baptist Church in Baytown.
Joyce and Martha Jo welcomed daughters Martha Susan Rutherford on May 30, 1963, and Sarah Joyce Rutherford on August 3, 1966. Martha Jo enjoyed her role as a mother and later, grandmother. She inherited the title of “MaMa” (pronounced maw-maw) from her mother and grandmother and wore it as a badge of honor.
Martha Jo taught seventh-grade English at Foster Middle School and Hallsville Junior High School for over thirty years. She led educational trips to Great Britain for students and adults. Many of her closest friends were former students or coworkers, a group of whom remained close long after retirement.
Martha Jo participated and volunteered for numerous organizations throughout her adult life, including Four Seasons Garden Club, Bible Study Fellowship, Compassionate Friends, P.E.O., Longview Women’s Forum, Shakespeare Book Club, East Texas Storytellers’ Guild, and the Texas Shakespeare Festival. She frequently held leadership positions in these organizations.
She was an active member of First Baptist Church of Longview for over fifty years. She taught Sunday School to youth, was a member of adult Sunday School classes, and served on the women’s ministry committee. She was especially proud of her service on the cookbook committee and shared numerous copies of Stained Glass with her friends and family.
Martha Jo enjoyed cooking, gardening, antiquing, cultivating family history, and spending time with her three grandchildren. She found strength and purpose in her love of opening her home to others, her passion for storytelling, and her desire to serve the Lord. Her joy was unfading and contagious, and those who knew Martha Jo would fondly remember her trademark laugh.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Joyce, daughter Susan, and many dear cousins and friends.
She is survived by her daughter Sarah Rutherford Starr; grandchildren Martha Elizabeth and Matthew Solomon, Emily Starr and Parker Roberson, and Matthew Rutherford Starr; and one great-grandson Noah Rutherford Solomon. She is also survived by treasured cousins and friends.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on January 31, 2026, at First Baptist Church, Longview, with a reception to follow. The family requests that guests wear a touch of red in honor of Martha. In lieu of flowers, they suggest donations be made in Martha’s name to the Texas Shakespeare Festival, First Baptist Church of Longview, or an organization of your choice.
Arrangements are under the care of Rader Funeral Home in Longview. An online memorial book may be signed at the funeral home website, https://www.raderfh.com.
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