Martha Frances Evatt

Martha Frances Smith Evatt, 95, originally of Central, died Sunday, March 31, 2019. Martha accepted Jesus as her Savior at age 13 and was a Christ-follower the rest of her life. She reflected Christ's love to her family, church, community, colleagues, and students. She was a member of Trinity Wesleyan Church for 66 years where she served in many roles including Sunday School teacher of the Berean Class for nearly 40 years and Vice-Chairman of the Local Board for 27 years. She also served The Wesleyan Church in several district and denominational positions. Martha graduated from Parker High School in Greenville and earned associate and bachelors degrees from Southern Wesleyan University (SWU) and Furman University. During World War II, she worked for the Office of Strategic Services as a researcher and proofreader. After the war, she completed a Masters in Library Science from The University of North Carolina. She was librarian at Daniel High School. Joining SWU, she served as Head Librarian for 41 years and was honored as Librarian Emeritus. Martha was preceded in death by her parents, the late Jeptha Oscar and Ida Cook Smith, her husband Kendrick Lee Evatt and six brothers and sisters. Survivors include son, Robert Smith Evatt (Susan) of Mertztown, PA; daughter Susan Evatt Gray (Edward) of Kings Mountain, NC; grandchildren Christopher Lee Evatt, James Michael Evatt, Matthew Edward Gray and Sarah Marie Gray; sister, Nelle Able of Gloversville, NY and brother, Gary Smith (Ellie) of Yorktown, VA. The family will receive friends at Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, Central, on Saturday from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Service will be held at Trinity Wesleyan Church, 700 Issaqueena Trail, Central at 3:00 pm Sunday and graveside service will follow at Mt. Zion Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Southern Wesleyan University, P.O. Box 1020, Central, SC 29630, onlinegiving@swu.edu. Condolences may be made expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or at the funeral home.