Montine Martin's Obituary
Services for Lora Montine Boozer Martin, under the direction of Rader Funeral Home will be held Friday, July 3, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of Rader’s Funeral Home, Longview, Texas. Interment will be at Concord Cemetery in Omaha, Texas the same day at 12:00 p.m. The family will receive visitors Thursday, July 2, 2015 from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Montine Martin, a resident of Longview, Texas since 1950, died at Autumn Leaves Nursing Home in Henderson, Texas on Monday, June 29, 2015. She had a smile for everyone and always and sincerely made you feel like you were her “favorite” until her death at 93 years old. Thankfully, she always knew her family and miraculously even knew her age until the last few days of her life when she announced that she had lived long enough and was ready to make that journey Home. Just hours later she began that journey with a “roar”, making sure we understood her intentions of what eventually turned into a peaceful trip to Beulah Land.
Born Lora Montine Boozer, November 11, 1921, in Omaha, Texas, her parents were Troy Boozer and Myrtice Vickers Boozer, both born and raised in Omaha. Montine was the second of four children, her older sister, Josephine Boozer Richey and younger brothers, J. B. and Vanoy Boozer. She was an excellent student and especially gifted in math. Montine was always very particular, detailed and obsessive to the point that her mother and sister thought she was “too slow” in the house and the kitchen, so she always had to work in the field. Farming alongside her siblings and her parents picking cotton and bringing in whatever crops and gardens necessary for their livelihood, there was never a question in her mind that her days of picking cotton were over just as soon as she graduated from high school. After graduation, she stayed close to home working in Mt. Pleasant, Texas for a short time before joining friends in Dallas. There, she worked for Sears and Roebuck, but soon got a better job at Skillern’s Drug Store at the Adolphus Hotel. Working her way up to manager of the drug store, she made enough money to buy the piano that she always wanted; she shopped and found several possibilities. Somehow she talked the piano companies into travelling 130 miles to Omaha with these pianos so her dad could help decide which one to buy; he also had promised her a pig to help with the down payment. She did purchase a piano which is still being played by family members to this day. She always told great stories of her time at the drug store and the famous people she met who were staying at the hotel. This was pre-war time, and even though she and her future husband, Wilburn Martin grew up together, they never dated during their school days; they did sing together at church and all-day singings at the area churches. Now they were both working in Dallas and ended up at a lot of the all-night singings during the Stamps-Baxter days; this was their idea of dating. December 15, 1943, they married in Dallas and left for a 6-week honeymoon in New York City before Wilburn shipped out with the Merchant Marines.
After the war, Montine, Wilburn and daughter, Ouida moved to Commerce, Texas so Wilburn could finish his music degree from East Texas State Teacher’s College. Then in 1947, the family moved to Daingerfield, Texas when Wilburn got a job to organize the first band for that school. Montine wanted to work and luckily was hired because of her high school math skills by a division of the Navy, located inside the Lone Star Steel plant. Her title, “computer” was exactly that; she computed the numbers from the engineers as they performed tests in the wind tunnel. Then in 1950, the Martin family moved to Judson where Wilburn took the job as band director. Roger was born in August shortly after the move, and soon Montine was back at work. Lone Star was close enough that she could keep her job with the Navy, and at some point through the years the company became Convair and then finally an aerospace division of General Dynamics. She carpooled back and forth to Lone Star every day for many years. She was always proud to know that her accurate “computing” played a part in the first successful landing on the moon. After 21 years, sadly for her, the plant closed, and not wanting to leave Longview for offers in other GD facilities, Montine very quickly established a huge Amway business. Then in 1978, the Longview Mall opened and she went to work for Dillard’s. She was top saleslady many times in the better dressware department; she loved that job and obviously was very good at it working there until the age 72. By that time, both Montine and Wilburn were retired and enjoyed being grandparents, active members of Winterfield United Methodist Church and the Chancel Choir, playing “42” regularly with all their retired friends and attending the gospel singings in the area. They continued a very active life until just a couple of years before his death, August 1, 2011. Montine would be the first to tell you that she had an amazing and very happy life.
Montine was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, a sister and two brothers.
She is survived by a daughter, Ouida and husband, John Henson of Joinerville, Texas; son, Roger Martin and wife, Gwen of Longview, Texas; grandsons, Kevin Henson and wife, Christy of Hereford, Texas and Derek Martin of Dallas, Texas; great granddaughters, Emily and Melissa Henson of Hereford; sisters-in-law, Horton Boozer of Daingerfield, Texas and Helen Boozer of Naples, Texas. She also leaves many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Pallbearers will be grandsons, Kevin Henson and Derek Martin, great nephews Ryan Richey, Lance Richey, Steven Richey, Shaun Richey and wonderful friend of the family, Sam Satterwhite
Honorary Pallbearers will be the Winmore Sunday School Class of Winterfield United Methodist Church.
The family especially appreciates the love and constant care given by so many these last six years at Eastman Estates Assisted Living facility, now Brookdale Longview, more recently, the staff at Autumn Leaves Nursing Home in Henderson and the last two and a half years that Heart to Heart Hospice has been in charge of her medical care. There can never be enough words to thank her hospice family properly; Charmaine Thomas, aide extraordinaire in every way, Robin Dawson, RN who has always been so diligent with her care and never failed to keep the family informed, Janet Gilleland, Social Worker and Keith Lybrand, Chaplain who have both spent countless hours with Montine, keeping her company, being her friend and so carefully documenting every phase of her condition – she loved all of you. Thank you. Nancy White was Montine’s hairdresser for many years, and the few times that Nancy had to be gone, good friend, Mark Elmore took care of her hair. Now at this time of celebration they were here once again to do what Montine asked them to do a long time ago; thank you for making her hair beautiful one more time. Much love to both of you.
The family requests that memorials honoring Montine be made to Heart to Heart Hospice, Concord Cemetery fund in Omaha, Texas, the Winterfield United Methodist Church Choir fund or the charity of your choice.
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