Martha Chandler

CHANDLER, Martha

Martha Winston Chandler, whose greatest joy in life was the relationships she built with others, passed away on August 7, 2024, in Easthampton, Massachusetts, from complications of breast cancer. A loving and vibrant mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, social worker, teacher, and beloved friend to many, she was surrounded in her final moments by her three children, John, Ben, and Davis.

Martha encountered an inordinate number of challenges during her lifetime and she approached each of them with a positive attitude, faith, courage and a delightful sense of humor. Her personal mantra was, "anything worth doing is worth overdoing." She radiated an exuberance that attracted people from many walks of life, with whom she shared her generous heart and gracious spirit. Martha never met a stranger and could see the best in anyone. Her innate curiosity made her sincerely interested in getting to know others, from students, colleagues, social work clients, or newfound friends. In the 1980s, when long-distance calling was expensive, Martha once had an hour-long conversation with a wrong number. Martha lived in the present (to such an extent she was forbidden from contributing appetizers at parties) and gave herself the "gift of time" by having all of her clocks set ahead at different intervals. Her friendships were as deep as they were wide, and she maintained countless decades long friendships. Her steadfast friends from college, who coined themselves the "Buzum", visited her in person and via video calls in her final years living in Massachusetts. She made everyone she met feel they were the only person in the room. Her heart was on her sleeve and her arms open wide. How she will be missed.

Martha Elizabeth Winston was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Elizabeth Davis Winston and Dr. Charles Sidney Winston on February 2, 1943. Charles was a dentist in the Army and Martha attended 11 schools in 12 years from the southeastern United States to Okinawa, Japan, before returning to Tennessee. She enrolled in Fayette County High School in Somerville, as a senior, winning Miss Fayette County High School that same year. At Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, before graduating from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. After receiving a master's degree in Social Work, Martha worked as a school social worker in the Nashville area, moving to Atlanta in 1972, with her husband at the time, John Chandler.

She was known as a faithful volunteer during her children's school years at Trinity School, Pace Academy, and Paideia School. One of the joys of Martha's life was the nine years during which she shared her love of children and her warm, nurturing spirit while teaching in Early Learning at The Galloway School in Atlanta. She believed in her students' success and recognized their talents.

Martha was preceded in death by her parents, and her older brother, Charles Sidney Winston, Jr. She is survived by her three children, John Winston Chandler (Megan Molteni) of Minneapolis, MN, Benjamin Ford Chandler (Darrell Earnest) of Easthampton, MA, Davis Chandler (Shannon Sennott) of Northampton, MA; and brother, Dr. Robert Winston of Vancouver, B.C. (Dr. Dorothy Uhlman); as well as many nieces and nephews. She leaves four adored grandchildren: Stella and Ayla Earnest-Chandler and Wilde and Golden Chandler-Sennott. Martha's family is especially grateful to Laurie and Ted Pelott of Easthampton, MA, who have been faithful friends and caregivers to Martha and her family, as well as to the staff and residents at the Lathrop community and the many wonderful, doctors, nurses, and caregivers, who helped her.

A special celebration of Martha's extraordinary life will be held Trinity Presbyterian Church, at 3 PM, on February 21, 2025. Gifts in Martha's memory may be made to Agape Youth and Family Center, 2210 Marietta Blvd. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 or The Galloway School, 215 Chastain Park Ave. NW, Atlanta, GA 30342. Also, in Martha's memory, say a kind word to someone you don't know and learn a bit about what they love.