Martha Elaine Stewart, 91, of Clovis, NM died Monday, April 2, 2012 at her home in Clovis. Services will be held at 1:00 pm Friday, April 6, 2012 at Central Baptist Church with Pastor Alan McAlister officiating. Burial will be held at the Dallas National Cemetery Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 1:00 PM.
Martha served her country in World War II as a commissioned Naval Officer as part of the Nursing Corp. She's famious for making lefse, a round Norwegian flatbread with a potato-based dough, baked on a griddle. Her grandparents were part of the great Norwegian and Swedish migration flowing to the USA in the mid-to-late 1800s. Her family settled in Hallock, Minnesota, 19 miles south of the Canadian border near the Red River of the north. Her childhood glittered with warm traditions and sugary memories. Fun and work melted together in seasons of skating, skiing, song gatherings, gardening, and ballgames. Martha married Ernest O. "Doc" Stewart in San Diego, CA during WWII. Together, they chiseled their mark on eastern New Mexico as entrepreneurs (Doc Stewart Chevrolet and Buick dealership), as tireless church workers, and by assisting and mentoring the men, women and officers of Cannon Air Force Base. Martha Stewart's hospitality and meals are still legendary in the halls of Cannon. An invitation to her table was considered a coveted prize. Besides raising four active sons, Martha served as a Southern Baptist approved state nursery worker for First Baptist Church of Clovis and Sandia Baptist Church for many years.
Survivors include her four sons, John (Jeanne) Stewart of Ft. Worth, TX, Kit (Coy) Stewart of Tuscon, AZ, Bobby Jack (Donna) Stewart of Clovis, NM, and Mark (Jodie) Stewart of Ft. Worth, TX; sister-in-law, Mary Beth Andrews of Lubbock, TX; seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Anne; husband, Doc Stewart; brother, Paul Blide; and sister, Louise.
Family requests memorial contributions be made to NM Baptist Childrens Home 2200 S. Ave. I Portales, NM 88130 or Fisher House Foundation Inc. 111 Rockville Pike Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850.
Arrangements are entrusted to Muffley Funeral Home, (575) 762-4435 www.muffleyfuneralhome.com.
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