Martel Hall Carrier

Martel H. Carrier passed away peacefully at her home in Oviedo, Florida on July 30, 2020 at the age of 86. She was born on a farm in Bell, Florida on September 6, 1933 as the second of six daughters to William and Lona Cannon Hall. Martel graduated as the valedictorian of her class from Bell High School in 1951. After high school, Martel graduated from Jones College in Jacksonville, Florida with a degree in Executive Secretarial Science. While at Jones College, she was initiated as a member of the Eta Omega Chapter of Alpha Iota Business Sorority. While living in Jacksonville, Martel worked as an executive secretary and it was there that she met and married her beloved husband, Kenneth Carrier in 1956 with whom she spent 60 years until his death in 2016. After her marriage, she relocated to Rome, New York where she raised a family and lived for over 60 years until her return to Florida in 2019.

She was a woman with many talents including gardening, sewing, quilting, cooking, making her own greeting cards, and volunteer work. Her volunteer work included nursing home ministry, the Rome Rescue Mission, Meals on Wheels, visiting

homebound and developmentally disabled community members, and as an election poll worker. Martel enjoyed studying and recording history including that of her family heritage and of Rome, New York. After moving to New York, Martel was an active member of the First Baptist Church where she attended weekly Bible study, taught Sunday School, and served on multiple boards and committees. She was an ever-gracious hostess who frequently provided a meal at her home after Sunday church services no matter the size of the family invited.

Martel is survived by her son, Brian (Susan) Carrier of Winter Park, Florida, a daughter, Sonya (Michael) Lightner of Kennesaw Georgia and four grandchildren; Niall and Keegan Carrier also of Winter Park, Deana (Brett) Skeen of Augusta, Georgia and Lauren Lightner also of Kennesaw. Martel is also survived by one sister, Cloia Ann Morris of St. Maries, Idaho. She was predeceased by four sisters: Mildred Prescott (2000), Chery Cockrell (2001), Sue Prescott (2003), and June Howard (2014).

Martel was a wise and godly woman and who will be remembered with words from her high school Valedictorian speech: “Friends, may you recall only our virtues, forgetting our faults, and may the future years bring you nothing but kind recollections of those who now bid you goodnight and goodbye”.

Memorial arrangements will be made at a later date.