Martha Margaret Irons

Martha Margaret Mayo was born in Los Angeles on April 1, 1944, to
her parents of Guy Pierce and Maurine Mayo. As the only child, her
parents scraped together enough money to give her a private
education at Culter Academy, a Christian school, based in Los Angeles.
She graduated from Culter Academy High School in 1961. Her first year
of college was at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, where she
studied Greek and Latin. She then transferred to Cal State Los Angeles
and lived with friends. When her father died that fall semester, she
moved back home to be with her mother.
In 1966 she graduated from Cal State L.A. with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English Literature. At school she discovered the writings of C.
S. Lewis, who became one of her most beloved authors. As an avid
reader, in her free moments, there would always be a book in her
hands.
Margaret married Steve Irons in 1966 after meeting him a few years
earlier at an Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship leadership camp on
Catalina Island. In their marriage of 59 years, Margaret gave birth to
three children: Lee (the oldest), Daniel, and then Kate. She was
privileged to have nine grandchildren (Jordan, Melody, Luke, Rachel,
Geneva, Lydia, Jonathan, Declan, and Cormac). She met many of her
challenges as a mother and grandmother with self-sacrifice and grace.
While in high school Margaret spent several summers working for
Know Your Bible Fellowship where she helped direct Vacation Bible
Schools for small churches along the San Joaquin Valley in California.
She put Steve through his one year at Fuller Theological Seminary,
working for Gospel Light Publishing as a writer and editor of children's
literature. In later years, she worked as a librarian at the Anaheim
Public Library. She also provided financially for her mother's long-term
care in a nursing home, by renovating and managing rental property.
She also worked as a researcher of upcoming concerts and community
events in Southern California for a company that maintained a
Directory Assistance database for 411 callers.
Margaret placed her trust in Jesus Christ as her Savior at a very young
age and held onto that trust to the end of her life. She enjoyed
meditating in the Word of God, the Bible. In her retirement years, she
would daily listen to the Anglican chants of the Psalms. As she listened
and meditated on who God is, she would write over the letters of the
text with a pen and make annotations in the margins. In the months
leading up to her death, she was comforted by Psalm 23 especially,
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for you are with me." Psalm 61 also comforted her:
"Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the
shelter of your wings!"
In the early 70's her husband, Steve, joined a church group that was
adamant in recovering the practices of the early churches in the book
of Acts. Margaret appropriately called the group "a High-demand
church". The leadership demanded much evangelistic fervor and self-
discipline. They taught that only those overcoming temptation and sin
in this life would be given certain privileges in Christ's future kingdom.
This is the absolute reversal of the truth that Christ Himself earns
heaven on our behalf. We do not earn eternal life through our good
work.
When the church group fell apart in the 1990's Margaret subsequently
spent many years interacting with those disillusioned by the teaching
and practice of the church. Several former members have since
expressed how very caring and loving Margaret was toward them.
They write: "I am forever grateful for the ways Margaret was a gentle,
kind, and pastoral presence for many in how she cared for the website
and engaged in the community of those in search of recovery. -
Margaret was a faithful sister who displayed the love of Jesus to all. -
She was a wonderful help to so many, me included. - Margaret was so
kind to me in the years after we left the Assembly; she offered
resources that truly helped me. I will always be grateful for her
bravery, her kindness, and her concern." Margaret has certainly
finished her life on this side of eternity as a person much loved by
those who knew her.
Margaret died on June 24, 2025, after battling lung cancer for a year.
She would often say during her year with cancer, "I'm going to be with
Christ soon, which is far better." She will always be a beloved wife,
mother, grandmother, friend, and fellow pilgrim to those who knew
her.