Obituary: Sue Martin
Sue Martin, 94, of Hickory Valley, passed from this life Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at her home.
A lifelong caregiver, Sue began her career as a Registered Nurse after earning her diploma from the University of Tennessee College of Nursing.
After retiring from nursing, she followed her entrepreneurial spirit and operated The Garden and Gift Center, where her green thumb and eye for beauty bloomed. Later in 1999, she and Joe moved to Dallas, Texas to help Joe Jr., establish his church. This chapter brought her great joy. She relished life in the big city, enrolling in computer classes, discovering new favorite shops, and building treasured friendships.
Above all, Sue was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Her greatest joy was her family and her love for each of them was boundless. Jesus was her Savior and Lord. Sue loved Him with all her heart and the life she led was a light to her family and community.
Sue leaves behind a legacy of warmth, resilience and faith that lives on in the hearts of those who knew her. She was truly loved and will be dearly missed.
Church services will be at Bolivar First Methodist Church on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at 12 p.m. with her son, Reverend Joe Martin, officiating. The burial will be at the Martin Family Farm in Hickory Valley. Shackelford Funeral Directors of Bolivar is in charge of professional arrangements.
She is survived by her husband of 71 years, Joseph Williams Martin, Sr. of Hickory Valley; three children, Joseph Williams Martin, Jr. (Nancy) of Dallas, Texas, Lisa Ann Martin Raines (Keith) of Bolivar, and Marla Sue Martin of Spring Hill; two brothers, William Hoyt Oliver (Lilith) of Black Mountain, North Carolina and John Larry Oliver (Diane) of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; seven grandchildren, Joseph Williams Martin, III, Landen Tillery, Caroline Manion, Mary-Martin Bryan, Turner Raines, Joseph Raines, and Allyson Ruff; twenty-one great grandchildren, Sadie Bray, Goldie, Birdie, Joe IV (Boots), Kamryn, Indy, Sigrid, Stella, Shepherd, Ruby, Ryder, Ridge, Reese, Banks, Jackson Cate, Austin, Martin, Rhett, Opal, Rowan, and Truitt. In addition to her parents, Virgil William Oliver and Pearl Lorene Walker Oliver, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Vernon Walker Oliver and Ronald Edward Oliver; and a granddaughter, Kathryn Ann Raines. Memorial contributions in her name may be sent to the Bolivar First Methodist Church, 218 West Market Street, Bolivar, Tennessee 38008.
Courtesy of Shackelford Funeral Directors, Bolivar, Tennessee.
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