Obituary of Martha Evelyn Love

Martha Evelyn Bickley Love, 88, was born on July 4, 1931 in Dallas, Texas and passed away on Saturday, July 27, 2019 in La Porte, Texas. 

Martha is preceded in death by her husband, William Sydney Love, Jr. and parents, Simon Stokes Bickley and Mattie Woods Bickley.  Left to cherish her memory is her son, Lloyd Love and wife, Susan of Pasadena, TX; daughter, Evelyn Love and Mark Davis of Jacksonville, TX; grandsons, Connor and Blake Love of Pasadena, TX and Marcus Hunter II and wife, Jackie and Mitchell Hunter of Dallas, TX.;  brother, Tom Bickley and wife, Nancy Beckman of Berkeley, CA. as well as a host of other family and dear friends.

Martha grew up in Houston until the age of 14, when after the passing of her mother, Mattie Woods, Martha lived with various relatives in Texas and in Georgia, while her father, S. Stokes Bickley sought care for her as he traveled for the family business.  During her childhood and teenage years, she bonded with family in Georgia, and stayed in close contact throughout her life. She was close to many cousins including Winona Shuman, Nancy Wood Anderson, and Christine Shuptrine of Georgia. Martha learned to adapt and find connections with people wherever she was.  Her skill in relating to a wide variety of people served her well and was a blessing to many over her entire life.

Martha studied at Southwestern University, initially pressed by her father into pre-med.  She met her husband Bill and began a wonderful adventure of marriage with him in 1951.  They both transferred to UT Austin where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1957. Following Bill’s time in the Service, they moved to Port Neches, Texas where she began teaching.  They moved to La Porte in 1963 and began their family.  She began working with the La Porte ISD in 1967, where she was a classroom teacher and later became an administrator.  She focused her classroom teaching on elementary and special needs students. She was especially fond of her time as assistant principal and then principal at Bayshore Elementary.  While working full-time, she earned her Master of Science in Education at UH-Clear Lake in 1980.  Additionally, she earned certifications in counseling and mid-management administration.  After retirement, she returned multiple times to serve as an administrator to fill in for vacant positions and she also mentored new teachers and tutored students in reading. She worked with the La Porte schools for over fifty years.

Her love of people, indomitable spirit and energy made her a greatly loved presence in La Porte.  She firmly believed that you made friends by serving others, and she lived by that principle.  She was an active member of First United Methodist Church, Rotary, the Citizens Advisory Council and a stalwart member of the informal “retired teachers’ breakfast club.” With her husband Bill, she worked tirelessly to support the La Porte Neighborhood Center. Throughout her life, she was a loved neighbor to both old and new residents, and tutored children well into her retirement.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Martha’s honor to the La Porte Education Foundation, PO Box 1272, La Porte, Texas 77572 or call Charlotte Pennye, executive director, at 281-604-7038.

A Memorial Service for Martha will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at First United Methodist Church, 9601 W Fairmont Pkwy, La Porte, Texas 77571.  A reception will follow in Angel Hall and then interment to follow at 2:00 PM at Grandview Memorial Park, Pasadena, Texas.