Martha Hester Barnes

On April 16, 2024, Martha Pipes Martin Barnes (94), of Huntsville, Texas, left this world for her heavenly reward. Martha was born on February 11, 1930, in Corpus Christi, to Fred and Lorene Wakefield Pipes. She told stories of a happy childhood in a neighborhood filled with friends and family. After high school, Martha attended Del Mar College, then moved to Lubbock, where she met and fell in love with Clyde Martin, a student at Texas Tech. They were married in August of 1949, and were blessed with four children as Clyde’s work took them to Tyler, Wichita Falls, and Dallas, before his death in 1970. Martha found love again and married Perry Barnes in 1974. They adopted sisters Elizabeth and Beverly Barnes, and generously took in others as they saw the opportunity. Martha had a remarkable capacity for love, and she loved many things and many people. She grew up loving six younger siblings and adoring her parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents. As her circle widened, so did her love, to include an extended family of several generations, and many, many friends. Martha loved music and had a beautiful singing voice. She loved cooking for holidays and family gatherings. She wrote poems, articles, Bible lessons, letters sweet and stern, and even books, as we discovered going through her filing cabinets. Martha was a lover of nature, and always had beautiful gardens. She could name almost every bird, tree, flower, and seashell in the state of Texas! That she loved and cherished so much and so many is a reflection of her love for Jesus Christ and his church, whom she served faithfully in various congregations her entire life. Especially precious to her was the Tuesday Ladies Bible Class at the Huntsville Church of Christ. Martha is preceded in death by her husbands, Clyde Martin and Perry Barnes, her brothers Wilson and Fred Pipes, brothers-in-law Keith Scott and Dick Fish, nephew Joel Fish, and great-niece Olivia Aucock. She is survived by brothers Gene Pipes (Cindy) and Jeff Pipes (Judy), sisters Louise Fish and Norma Scott; children Diana Gronholz, Byron Martin (Debbie), Fran Hilbert, Lisa Martin, Elizabeth Rice (David), Beverly Crider, special daughters Deb Aguillon (Edgar) and Ruth Martinez; stepsons Mike Barnes, Terry Barnes (Lola), and Rick Barnes (Susan); and many precious nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and great grandchildren Those of us who remain are forever grateful to have had Martha in our lives.