Martha Gilbert Tuttle

Martha Tuttle was proud to be known as a Main Line girl, having been born and raised initially in a suburb of Philadelphia, before moving to Pasadena, California in 1934. She took a great interest in the genealogy of her mother's and father's families, and spent years conducting research in libraries, visiting grave sites and cemeteries, and obtaining documentation and records which eventually produced a written timeline of the family history dating back to the 1700s.
Martha loved family, and after being wed she and her husband raised four children and lived in Easton, CT; Wayland, Mattapoisett, and Marion, MA; Stuart, FL; New London, NH; and Providence RI. At the time of her passing at 94, she is survived with deep affection and gratitude by a large and loving family, including twin sister Mary Greene Jobson; her children Deborah (Mark) Jennings, Michael (Anita) Tuttle, Mary (Gary) Faucher, Sandra Tuttle; grandchildren Sarah Okuma, Meghan Fox, Corinne Jennings, Des Jennings, Andrew Tuttle, Robert Tuttle, Benjamin Faucher, Kyle Faucher, Mia Li Hong Faucher; great grandchildren Riley and Kaiyoshi Okuma, Addison Faucher
, Rowan, Juniper, and Merrick Jennings; nephews Jeremy Greene, Mark Jobson; and nieces Anne Sweetapple, Jennifer Shea. She was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Clifford Tuttle, in 2005.
With her husband and family, Martha was an inveterate traveler, she logged many miles (long before frequent flyer programs), visiting the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia & Oceania, and North and South America. There was nowhere one could think of traveling without Martha adding, "Oh yes, I went there; it's great." For Martha, there was nothing like planning a trip, whether it was swimming with dolphins in Florida or visiting ancient sites in Europe.
Before meeting her husband, Martha lived in New York City and was enrolled in a two-year program with the Tobé-Coburn School for Fashion Careers. "I loved being in New York," she said, "going to the theatre and museums. It was this experience that taught me that my real love was art history." (While in the city, she and her sister bought standing room tickets for 1949's new smash hit South Pacific with Mary Martin, which resulted in not a few black and blue toes, but was worth it to stand, even in those heels.) Martha was a very supportive "corporate wife" to her husband Cliff, but she was so much more than a wife and mother. Wherever she lived, she wanted to be active, playing tennis and golf, and involved in every community, making connections through various volunteer opportunities and taking art history classes. She volunteered in public elementary schools, teaching arts appreciation through history, was an avid gardener and active member of the Garden Club of Buzzards Bay. She also worked as a docent for the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum in New Bedford, The John Hay Estate at The Fells in Newberry, NH, and The Stephen Hopkins House in Providence. After taking up residence at Laurelmead Independent Living, Martha again found an opportunity for her love of art, heading the Art Committee responsible for curating the paintings, prints and photographs that are hung throughout the halls, great rooms, conference rooms, and library. She was responsible for the rotation of existing pieces, and overseeing the budget for the purchase of new art. Art for Martha was a living experience, never static.
In the 1960s there were very few programs to assist in the development and care of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, until parent groups joined to organize The National Association of Retarded Citizens (known today as ARC). Being such a parent-and an advocate for her youngest child to lead a life as fully realized as possible-Martha became President of the local New Bedford ARC, founding a successful fundraising charity golf tournament, and later worked with legislators to help pass the Massachusetts Public Education Law Ch. 766 that ensured that persons with disabilities would have full rights to a public education. Thanks to Martha's advocacy, her daughter has lived in a private group home for 39 years and held a full-time job with Boston College for the past 36 years.
For the past several years living at Laurelmead in Providence, Martha enjoyed the community of independent living while being part of a cooperative, owned by the residents. She made many friends (in addition to her colleagues on the Art Committee), and everyone in the family liked coming to Sunday Brunch in the dining room. To be surrounded by family nearby, and have an independent experience with friends and interests, was a great arrangement at this time of her life, and she is surely remembered by all those who knew her and enjoyed her company.
Martha's family would like express our extreme gratitude to her excellent team of caregivers: Farrah, Isabel, Vina, Phylicia and Ashley as well as the team of professionals at Hope Health.
A celebration of life/memorial service will be held on October 25 at 1:00 PM at Swan Point Cemetery, 585 Blackstone Blvd, Providence, RI.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to Special Olympics Massachusetts, 512 Forest St, Marlborough, MA 01752 www.specialolympicsma.org
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