MARTHA ELLEN KARLET

1927 - 2019

On June 25, 2019, MARTHA ELLEN KARLET, 92, peacefully went to be with the Lord, at home surrounded by her loving family. She was born to parents Ben and Sadie Davis on April 29, 1927, in South Point, Ohio, where she would live her entire life. She graduated from South Point Delta High School and was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in South Point. She married the late Herbert Pete Karlet on July 12, 1946. They would spend the next 61 years together in the home that he built, until his passing in 2007. In this home they raised their two children, Alice and Herb. This was the home that hosted every birthday party, every Thanksgiving, every Christmas, every Sunday dinner. And not just an occasional Sunday dinner. Every single Sunday, for over 60 years, a Sunday dinner that would never disappoint and be a spread that would be more than enough for anyone who just might happen to stop by. One was always hopeful for her famous scalloped potatoes, but no matter the menu, no one was leaving hungry or disappointed. And don't bother asking her the menu that morning at church; her reply was always the same: bologna sandwich. And her birthday cakes were always the highlight of every birthday party. Starting with a doll cake for her daughter, Alice, to the baseball field cakes, even her New Kids on the Block cake, they all had one thing in common: They were made with love and were absolutely delicious. She was put on this Earth to be a wife, mother, a granny and a great-grandmother. She attended countless games and events that her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were involved in. It was always a treat to spend a Friday night at Granny's, watching some late-night TV shows accompanied by homemade waffles in the morning. Her grandchildren were the star of countless elementary school class party's because all the kids knew Granny's homemade cookies were coming. On the yearly family vacation to New Smyrna Beach, it was her and Papa's car you wanted to be in for all the good snacks. Always a jokester with a great sense of humor, she kept those around her always smiling and laughing. Especially the time in her adult years when she disguised herself as a ghost during trick-or-treat, fooling even her own parents, drawing hearty laughs by everyone. Through her love, sacrifice and commitment she became a homemaker and built a home that everyone wanted to be a part of. Her children's friends always wanted to visit her home, and to this day, have the fondest memories of the good times at The Karlet House. As one friend recently said, "Her house was the one that everyone wanted to be at." Even in her illness, her caregivers were impressed and appreciative of the family she held together with love. She poured her heart and soul into her family, and they will always be eternally grateful. Thanks to her, it is a great family to be a part of. She loved and built her whole life around her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as their friends. Though her family and friends will miss her dearly, she has been reunited with those who preceded her in death, her husband, Herbert Pete Karlet, 3 siblings, Buster (Babe) Davis, Henry (Gertrude) Davis and Anna J Scherer, and son-in-law, Robert Wheeler. She is survived by a daughter, Alice Wheeler; a son and daughter-in-law, Herb and Luanna Karlet; four grandchildren, Laura Ellen Payne, James Alan Wheeler, all of South Point, OH, Kelli M. Karlet of Manchester, NH, and Brian J. (Kelley) Karlet of South Point, OH; 4 great-grandchildren, Logan Rose, Abby Payne, Jaxson Karlet and Cooper Karlet, all of South Point; sister, Vera Waggoner; and a host of nieces and nephews, family and friends. Funeral service will be 1 p.m. Saturday, June 29, 2019, at Slack and Wallace Funeral Home, South Point, Ohio, with burial following at Highland Memorial Gardens, South Point, Ohio. Friends may call Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and one hour prior to the service Saturday. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.slackandwallace.com.