Martha Kelly Owens passed away Thursday, May 2 at Alive Hospice in Murfreesboro, Tennessee after a brief illness. Born on January 16, 1939 in Tullahoma, Tennessee, Martha was the daughter of the late Virgil S. Owens and the late Ethel Spencer Owens. As a child she was surrounded by her extended Owens Family. While she loved her two brothers, Robert (Bobby) and Patrick (Pat); her first cousin, the late Nancy Owens Bussche, was her near constant companion.  

Martha excelled in school – both academically and socially – and remained lifelong friends with her school girlfriend group that included her cousin Nancy, Ann (Soesbe) Rust, Joanne (Hawkersmith) Roberson, Martha (Marty) Parish Ligon, the late Nancy Potter Newby, and others. Together they giggled their way through Sunday School, Tullahoma High School, Sub-Debs, and adventures large and small in the 1950s. Martha learned the satisfaction of hard work done well from her mother, Ethel. As a 14-year-old she was recommended (by Mrs. Blanche McClure – an adored teacher) as “the fastest, best typist” among the young girls in Tullahoma which resulted in Martha taking her first job at WJIG Radio in Tullahoma. Her work at the radio station solidified her love of great music – rock and roll, soul, blues, country, and bluegrass. Unlike many of her friends – she preferred Fats Domino, Aretha Franklin, and Chuck Berry over Elvis. In later years, she was all Willie Nelson, all the time.  

As a junior at Tullahoma High she was bowled over when a young man named John Grider moved to town from Louisville, Kentucky. They married in 1957, the same year they graduated from THS and had two children – John Clay Grider, Jr. and Lisa Elizabeth Grider, before divorcing in 1962. Martha remained friends to the end with John Grider, Sr. and came to love and cherish his wife, Sharon Grider. Martha was a welcomed guest at their home several times and enjoyed being co-grandparents, and great grandparents.  

A combination of necessity and drive, propelled Martha through a professional life filled with accomplishments, accolades and an enormous amount of dear friends who crossed her path “in the office.” After working for a number of years as a secretary at AEDC (Arnold Engineering Development Center) , she became the secretary to the late John M. McCord at the Tullahoma law firm of Henry & McCord. Martha was forever grateful for the guidance, tough love, and demand for high quality work that Mr. McCord instilled in her. “The law” became Martha’s professional calling and she continued to work as a legal
2 / 3
assistant for many years, serving as Legal Assistant and Office Manager for Manchester attorney and business leader J. Stanley Rogers, on and off, from the mid-1980s until she finally put down her steno pad in 2017. Numerous young professionals have expressed appreciation for all that Martha taught them, including retired Manchester attorney Christina Duncan who said, “I learned as much about the law from Miss Martha as I did in law school!”  

Martha’s life took another surprising turn in 1988 when she traveled with her daughter to a small town in the San Juan mountains (the southern Rockies) called Creede, Colorado for the first time. From the moment she got there, Creede captured her heart and her spirit. As much as she loved her dear friends and colleagues in Middle Tennessee, she quoted the great John Muir: “The mountains are calling and I must go.” Visiting Creede and Thirty Mile Resort at the headwaters of the Rio Grande for several years, she surprised almost everyone by resigning her position at Mr. Rogers’ firm, selling her home in Coffee County, and moving to Creede, where she lived for 17 years. Only reluctantly, did Martha leave Creede in 2017 when her children expressed their concern about the remote location and her health.  

As was typical, Martha quickly became a force in the small town of Creede.  
Shortly after settling in town, she went to work for Mark Richter of Willow Creek Realty, eventually earning her real estate license and becoming Mark’s partner in that business, helping many other Creede lovers find their place in what she considered paradise. The vagaries of the real estate business eventually prompted her to end her relationship with Willow Creek and she accepted a position as the Director of the Creede Chamber of Commerce.  

Even her move to Creede paled in comparison to the most significant change in Martha’s life. In early 1990, Martha took two enormous steps, simultaneously. The first was to return to the faith of her youth and recommit her life to Christ at Tullahoma Baptist Church. The second part of her leap of faith was to walk through the doors of a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Committing herself completely to both aspects of that journey, she left this world a devoted Christian and sober for 35 years.

Beyond Martha’s professional career, she was an active volunteer most of her life, lending her energy and expertise to a wide-range of organizations. From Sunday School and women’s ministry leader,City Council member in Creede and Board member of a state-
3 / 3
wide Legal Assistants association to a women’s prison ministry program and church-based thrift store – Martha shared her time, her talent, and her expertise joyfully.  

Martha is survived by her son John C. Grider, Jr. of Manchester, Tennessee and her daughter Lisa Grider and son-in-law Mitch Lawrence of Fort Worth, Texas; her three granddaughters – Lindsey Celeste (Grider) Jarvis and her husband Jon Jarvis of Carlsbad, California; Lauren Kelly Grider of Carlsbad, California; and Cornelia (Neeley) Elizabeth Lawrence of Fort Worth, Texas; and her beloved four-year-old great grandson John Callum Jarvis. She is also survived by her two brothers and their wives: Rear Admiral Robert S. Owens, United States Navy (retired) and his wife Martha (Rutledge) Owens of Fairfax, Virginia; Patrick W. Owens and his wife Libby (Stilts) Owens of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee and her nieces and nephews: Charles Owens of Knoxville, Tennessee; Cathy Owens of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Andrea Owens of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee and Thomas Owens of Daytona Beach, Florida. In addition to immediate family, Martha is treasured by her extended family of Owens cousins and special friends throughout the United States.  

Martha’s life will be celebrated in two locations – with dates to be determined in the coming days. One Memorial Service will take place in Coffee County, with another to be scheduled at Creede (Colorado) Baptist Church later this summer. To make a gift in Martha’s memory, please consider the following or choose your own nonprofit organization:

Creede Baptist Church
600 La Garita Street
Creede, CO 81130
(719) 658-2312
https://www.creedebaptistchurch.org

Alive Hospice
1629 Williams Drive
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
(615) 327-1065
www.alivehospice.org