Martha Morse

DUNDEE - Martha Lawson Morse, 91, of Houston, Texas passed away Tuesday (June 21, 2011) at the Penn Yan Manor Nursing Home.
There were no prior calling hours. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, (July 3) at the First Presbyterian Church, 31 Main St., Dundee, N.Y. followed by tea and her favorite cookies.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Missions Fund of the First Congregational Church of Houston, 10840 Beinhorn Road, Houston, Texas 77024, the Dundee Library, 32 Water St., Dundee, N.Y. 14837, or the Dundee Area Historical Society, 26 Seneca St., Dundee, N.Y. 14837.
Born February 4, 1920, in Dundee, N.Y. to George and Alice (Ferrier) Lawson, she was a 1937 graduate of Dundee High School, earned her B.A. Degree in Chemistry from Cornell University in 1941, and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Rochester in 1944, where she met her future husband and lifelong soul mate Norman. They married in 1945. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, Martha worked as a research chemist at Shell Development Company in Emeryville, California before leaving to start a family. Moving from California for a three year stay in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, Norman and Martha then moved to, and spent most of their years in Houston, Texas, with a short stay in St. Louis.
Martha was a member and deacon of the First Congregational Church of Houston. A gifted weaver and teacher, she was a lifetime member of the Contemporary Handweavers of Texas. A passionate promoter of intercultural understanding she was actively involved in the Institute for International Education, the English in Action program, tutoring numerous foreign students in English; and the United Nations Association. A Girl Scout leader for many years, Martha also served on the board of the San Jacinto Council of the Girl Scouts. She and Norman were patrons of the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, as well as contributors to numerous charities. They were long-time summer residents of Dundee, N.Y. in their cottage at Squaw Point on Seneca Lake, and members of the Dundee Historical Society.
Martha is survived by her husband of 66 years Norman Lester Morse of Penn Yan, Manor, her children Robert A. (Mary-Margaret) Morse of Washington D.C., Elizabeth M. (Roger) Howland of Shelburne, Vt., and William D. (Maude) Morse of Camillus, NY; 9 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; her dear sister-in-law Francis Lawson, and many nieces and nephews and their families.
Predeceased by her brother William Lawson and sister Anne Lawson Flanders.
Arrangements were entrusted to the BAIRD FUNERAL HOME 36 Water St. Dundee, N.Y.