by her husband, Bruce Farrelly; her son, Bill Christian (wife Sherry Myers); her niece, Deborah
Keith; her nephew, David Keith; her great niece, Presley Keith; her great nephew, Coulter Keith;
and Sharon Lynn Farrelly, Franklin Richard Farrelly, and James Ian Farrelly of Chattanooga. She
is predeceased by her son, Lance Corporal Matthew Keith Christian, U.S. Marines; her parents,
Lemuel Grady Keith, Sr. and Adah Warwick Keith; and her brother, Lemuel Grady Keith, Jr. (wife
Hilda Coulter Keith). She was a Gold Star Mother.
Martha was born in Knoxville on August 4, 1939, and attended Park Lowery Grammar School,
Park Junior-High School and Knoxville East High School. She received her undergraduate and
master’s degrees in education from the University of Tennessee and taught at Bonnie Kate and
Belle Morris Elementary Schools until her retirement. A gifted musician, Martha sang soprano,
played piano and organ, and conducted several choirs and ensembles including The Golden
Tones and the Shannondale Singers. She became the Director of Music at Vestal United
Methodist Church at age 17 and served in that role for more than 30 years, and she passed
along her love of music to the next generations of her family. She will be greatly missed for her
warmth, compassion, intelligence, and humor. May she find peace, as her strong faith
promised, with her loved ones and her God.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, February 18th, at First United Methodist
Church, followed by a private interment at Greenwood Cemetery. Masks are requested.
Fond memories and condolences may be offered at www.berryfuneralhome.com
