Martha Sue Bjorkgren

Martha Sue (Anderson) Bjorkgren, 89 years old, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 11, 2023, in Houston, Texas. She lived in Houston for four years, and prior to that was a resident of Metairie, Louisiana, for over 60 years. She will be deeply missed by all who loved her.

Martha was born in Chanute, Kansas, on April 11, 1933, the fifth of ten children. Raised during the Great Depression and the World War II years, and as the only surviving daughter of a traveling Baptist minister, her mother relied on her to help care for their large family and her aging grandmother. The family moved a number of times, living in Kansas, Texas, and Arkansas. She worked for a newspaper after graduating high school, during which time she met Alfred Hugh Bjorkgren at a skating rink near the Arkansas-Louisiana border. They married and eventually moved to the New Orleans area. They lived together in their home in Metairie for over 50 years, until Alfred’s death. She later moved to Houston to be near her family.

Martha was a long-standing member of Bridgedale Baptist Church in Metairie, and a member of Encircler Chapter No. 191, Order of the Eastern Star. She was a life-long student with many interests, but she had a special love for family history, writing, and children’s stories. She went back to college and graduated at 40 years of age, achieving a degree in English Education with a minor in Journalism. She taught English at Riverdale High School for a couple of years, serving as yearbook advisor, then left teaching to become a social worker with the Louisiana Welfare Department, where she eventually retired.

She is survived by her daughter Joyce Rivette and husband Charles Denis of Houston; son William Bjorkgren and wife Amy of Arizona; grandson Alan Bjorkgren and wife Sara of League City; granddaughter Catherine Rivette of Houston; grandson Denis Rivette and his fiancée Sharessa of Colorado; step-grandson Scott Wilson and wife Joanna of Georgia; and two great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her parents, Arvel Franklin Anderson and Trella Marie Barnhisel; an infant sister, Nata Ann Anderson; and eight brothers, Frank, Tom, Phil, John, Dave, Jim, Paul and Dan Anderson.

Memorial service will be on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 11am at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church. Any floral arrangements should be delivered to the church address: 4300 N. Shepherd Dr. Houston, TX 77018. Her interment to follow at a later date in Wetmore Cemetery in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.