Martha McCown McClure, 96, of Malvern, Arkansas, died Thursday, June 8, 2023.

She was born March 13, 1927, in Fayetteville, Tennessee, to James Elvin McCown and George Nichols McCown. She had one brother, James “Jim” Elvin McCown Jr.

Martha grew up in a loving home, in a house with an inviting front porch, where family and friends often gathered. Martha’s mother was a nurturing, steady presence in her life, especially after the sudden death of her father when she was 12. Both of her parents emphasized the importance of a good education and caring for others in the community.

Martha graduated in 1949 from Vanderbilt University with a degree in biology, at a time when very few women attended Vanderbilt. She completed a teacher education program at Peabody College later that same year. Martha and her future husband, George McClure, met in the summer of 1949 in Nashville, Tennessee, and married on Feb. 4, 1950, at the First Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, Tennessee. For the fall semester of 1949, Martha taught all subjects in first through 12^th grades in a small, rural school in Lincoln County, Tennessee. She was surprised, and pleased, when many of her students unexpectedly greeted her at the church just before her wedding ceremony.

After two years in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Martha taught biology for a semester at Little Rock High School (Little Rock Central), the family moved to Malvern, Arkansas. Martha and George had four children, all born between 1950 and 1956.  

Besides being a dedicated, supportive wife and mother, Martha was very active in the First United Methodist Church in Malvern. She was a church leader, holding several key offices over the years, and was an eighth grade Sunday school teacher. For many years, Martha drove elderly people to doctors’ appointments, and regularly visited shut-ins and friends at nursing homes. Martha was quick to bake a pie or a casserole for anyone in need. She was an excellent dessert cook, as was her mother. Her caramel pie and yeast biscuits were larrupin’.  She was an exceptional, reliable letter writer and a fine bridge player. After 50 years of membership in the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter BC, Martha became a “Golden Girl” in 2018.

Martha was regarded by her family and close friends as a fun, smart, charming, kind, and organized person. She was deeply loved and will be dearly missed. Martha (“Mart” to her grandkids) is predeceased by her husband, George McClure Sr.; her parents; and her brother, Jim McCown Jr. and his wife, Loretta Hicks McCown.  She is survived by her children, George McClure Jr. (Dr. Gail Hearne McClure), Tom McClure (Ellen Turner), Frank McClure (Gail Brown McClure), Carol McClure DuMontier (Dr. Edward DuMontier).  She is also survived by 10 grandchildren, Mallery McClure Mitchell, Dr. Matthew McClure, Conner McClure, Kent McClure, Sarah McClure, Katie McClure Bartelt, Michelle DuMontier, Scott McClure, Danielle DuMontier, George DuMontier, and 23 great-grandchildren.

A special thank you is extended to all of the patient, kind caregivers who have helped Martha so much during the past few years, including everyone at Encore Health and Rehabilitation in Malvern.

Committal and interment at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Malvern will be private.  A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, July 21, 2023, in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Malvern, with Dr. J. Earl Coker officiating, and under the direction of J. A. Funk Funeral Home. 

Memorial contributions can be made to the First United Methodist Church, 127 E. Page Avenue, Malvern, Arkansas 72104, or to Libby’s R.O.S.E. Food Pantry in Malvern.

Online condolences may be sent via jafunkfuneralhome.com.