Martha COWDEN

COWDEN, Martha B. Of Bethany Village in Centerville, died on January 18, 2019 at age 77 after a short illness. Martha was the daughter of Robert E. Cowden, Jr. and Susannah B. Cowden. A lifelong resident of Oakwood until her recent move to Bethany Village, Martha was a 1960 graduate of Oakwood High School. She attended Western College for Women, in Oxford, as a special student for four years and was elected an honorary member of the class of 1964. She later earned an Associate of Arts degree with honors at Sinclair Community College. She also studied at the Penland School of Crafts, in North Carolina, and at Arrowmont School of Crafts, in Tennessee. Martha gradually lost her sight as a young adult due to glaucoma. She was assisted over the years by a sequence of beloved leader dogs generously provided by Lions Club International, and she was active with the Dayton Federation for the Blind. Martha was an artist. She worked principally with clay and natural fibers, with all of her work being tactual. With many of her pieces, she followed a Native American basketry technique that combined hand-built pottery with fiber coiling. Her pottery was created and fired at classes at Sinclair Community College. For her coiling, she wrapped yarn and other fibers around roping in inventive designs. She also made decorative wall-hangings on her loom. Surviving Martha are her brother Robert and his wife, Martha; her sister, Ann; her brother John and his wife, Caryl; nieces and nephews David, Kelly, Josh, Molly, Graham, Susannah and Rob; grandnieces Carolyn and Abigail; and grandnephew Owen. Martha was a lifelong parishioner at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Oakwood. A memorial service for Martha will be held on March 26, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in the Chapel at St. Paul's, 33 West Dixon Avenue, Oakwood.