Martha Bartlett Pepper

Martha Elizabeth Bartlett Pepper, 91, died Nov. 11, 2025 in her Spokane, Wash. home. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Beaumont, Texas. A reception will follow at the church. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 21 at Algoma Cemetery in Marshall, Texas. She will be buried beside her husband, Grady Paul Pepper, who died in Beaumont, Texas in 1997.
Martha was born March 20, 1934 in Marlin, Texas to Anna Byrne and Thomas Bartlett Jr. She lived around the world in her 91 years: Marlin, Texas; Lexington, Kentucky: Conroe, Texas; Charleston, W.Va.; Huntington, W.Va.; Sherman, Texas; McAllen, Texas; Marshall, Texas; Port Arthur, Texas; Beaumont, Texas; Darien, Conn.; Basildon, England; Singapore; Yanbu, Saudi Arabia; Torrance, Calif.; and Spokane, Wash. She mothered her children well and supported her family with love from all the different time zones. Martha grew up mostly in Marlin, Texas but the family lived in West Virginia during World War II while her father was in the Navy and in Kentucky while her father attended law school.
She attended Austin College and received a degree in Education with a minor in Bible. She became an elementary school teacher. She met Grady Paul Pepper on a blind date while working at a school in Marshall, Texas. After an enthusiastic pursuit by Paul, they were married Aug. 16, 1958, at the First Presbyterian Church in her hometown of Marlin, Texas. They are survived by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Her first child, Robert Thomas Pepper, is a retired medical missionary and doctor living in the rural town of Buckhead, Ga. He and his wife, Rhonda Lanier Pepper, have four children: Rebekah Hope Pepper (Aaron Harris), Sarah Catherine Pepper (Paul Sollenberger), Paul David Pepper (Mikayla Pepper), and Andrew Brandon Pepper. Rebekah and Aaron have two children: Annabeth and Miriam Harris. Her second child, Elisha John Pepper, is a wealth management consultant in Austin, Texas. He and his wife, Sue Pepper, have four children: Maxwell Thomas Barron Pepper (Tara Pepper), Spencer Paul Cirlot Pepper (Rebekah James Pepper), Natasha Mitrev, and Lily Mitrev. Spencer and Rebekah have a son, Benjamin Taylor Pepper. Her third child, Molly Bartlett Pepper, is a professor in Spokane, Wash. She and her husband Dean Tex Saito have two children: Naomi Pepper Saito and Samuel Bartlett Saito. She is also survived by her sister Nancy Bartlett Erwin and many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Martha is also survived by her beloved dog, Belle Pepper. Belle is a funny, mischievous dog whom Martha adored. Belle was her faithful companion for the past five years and brought much comfort. She and Martha shared a special bond.
Martha's grandchildren had many affectionate names for her, including Marty, Mimi, and Party. Other nicknames include Mumumay, Marty the Party, La grande pomplemouse, Aunt Buh, and Auntie Ahu.
Martha believed in volunteering to help others. Wherever she lived, she found a place where people needed help and gave her time and talents. In Beaumont, she taught at Head Start, was a regular volunteer at Some Other Place, and read to students of many of John and Molly's teacher friends, including Gerry Wiggins Edwards and Meigan Oliver Ashy. When she moved into the Rockwood Retirement Community in Spokane, Wash., she volunteered at another school to have children read to her and she volunteered in the Rockwood memory care center. She was a faithful member of the Methodist church wherever she lived and volunteered in many of their programs, including being the leader of Stephen ministry at Trinity, helping with UMCOR, working at VBS, serving on the altar guild, and being a representative from Trinity to Annual Conference, where she spoke boldly about an issue close to her heart and the hearts of her children's friends. She was named Mother of the Year at Trinity United Methodist Church in Beaumont, Texas in 2003. In her teaching career, one of her favorite jobs was working in the Head Start Program in Beaumont, Texas. But she loved all her teaching posts: McAllen, Texas, Marshall, Texas, Port Arthur, Texas, and Saudi Arabia.
Martha was a writer and wrote the story of her family. Over the past year, her family gathered weekly on Zoom to hear her many stories. She started with the oldest family member she could remember and worked her way forward to her own generation. She wanted to write about her people as she remembered them, and she did, with no filter. Her stories were full of family lore and often so funny that the readings had to stop for laughter and requests for more details.
She was the face of Christ to so many people in so many places at so many times. She had a heart for service. To hold her hand was to hold the hand of Christ. She was the best of us, and will be sorely missed.
The family is grateful to the staff and residents of Rockwood Retirement Communities, where Martha lived for the past seven years. At Rockwood, Martha found warm friendships and a meaningful community. She loved the Rockwood community and was surrounded by its kindness and care.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church in Beaumont. https://www.trinityumcbeaumont.org/giving < https://www.trinityumcbeaumont.org/giving >