Martha Watts Moore

Martha Ellen (Watts) Moore, 91, beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, grandmother, and great-grandmother, died peacefully in the early morning hours of February 24, 2024, in Fredericktown, Missouri, where she had resided for the last few years.

Born and raised in Frankfort, Kentucky, Martha grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. The years of sacrifice during those two events helped form her character and gave her a resilience and a sense of optimism that never left her. Martha was a 1941 graduate of Frankfort High School, where she excelled in speech, debate, and music. While attending Georgetown College, she met Ray Moore, whom she would marry upon his return from active duty in the US Army. After getting married, Martha devoted herself to being the best mother possible for her three children. When her oldest child, Sharon, turned 16 and was applying for her driver’s license, Martha, who had never learned to drive, decided she would get a driver’s license as well. Obtaining her license opened a whole new world for her. She returned to college and completed her bachelor’s degree that she had abandoned earlier. The next logical step was a master’s degree, a degree that led to her being hired to teach speech and interpersonal communications at Murray State University for many years. Martha was a member of First Baptist Church, a long-time Sunday School teacher, and an active member of the adult choir and other musical programs.

She is survived by her son, Doug Moore, her daughter, Bettie Whitworth (Neal), her grandchildren, Ethan Wells (Randi), Erin Espinosa (Miguel), and Mattie Comstock (Weston), and her beloved great-grandchildren, Peyton Perry, Parker Perry, Owen Espinosa, Piper Espinosa, Keylon Wells, Addilyn Wells, and Noah Wells. She was preceded in death by her brother, Orbra Watts, parents, Walter and Rose Watts, sister, Mary Lawson, husband, Ray P. Moore, and daughter, Sharon Wells (Paul).

Everyone who ever met Martha loved her, even those charged with her care at the nursing home where she spent her last days. She was truly the personification of the phrase “a life well-lived.”

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be sent to the MSA Coalition, an IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) public charity founded to fight the insidious disease known as Multiple Systems Atrophy that took Martha’s first-born child, Sharon. Information on how to make a donation is available at info@multiplesystematrophy.org.

A memorial service and celebration of Martha’s life will be held at the First Baptist Church of Murray on Friday, March 1, 2024, at 12:00 noon, with visitation to begin two hours earlier, at 10:00 a.m.

Blalock-Coleman Funeral Home & Cremation Services is honored to be entrusted with the care of Mrs. Moore.  Please share your messages of condolence by signing her virtual guestbook at www.blalockcolemanfuneralhome.com.