Martha Roxan Daughtridge

Martha Roxan Daughtridge, 77, of Wake Forest, formerly of Apex, NC, passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024 at Hillside Nursing and Rehab in Wake Forest, NC. It was her 77th birthday. She was a dearly loved wife, mother, Mamaw, and friend.

Known to loved ones as Roxan, she was born December 29, 1947 in Union Grove, North Carolina to John Riley Mann and Frances Henrietta Mullis. The second of four children, she grew up in a rural farming family, picking cotton, growing tobacco, and often milking cows before going to school. Money was tight, and when her father got a job as a rural mail carrier, it changed their lives dramatically for the better. Roxan and her siblings – Pete, Joe, and Penny -- remained close their entire lives.

After graduating from high school, Roxan briefly attended Mars Hill College. However, she realized that college was not for her, so she moved to Raleigh to attend Data Processing School. The school was just a couple of blocks from the state capitol, situated above a soda shop. Each day Roxan walked from her nearby boarding house, opened the soda shop and worked for a couple of hours, went upstairs to school, then came down and closed the soda shop. This was the beginning of her true independence.

During this time, she went on a blind date with a handsome man named Vernon Daughtridge. Vernon was instantly smitten, and that night he told Roxan, “I’m gonna marry you.” She smiled and thought to herself, “You’re crazier than you look.” They began dating, and then Roxan took a job in Charlotte at Bellsouth, so they dated long-distance. Vernon was ready for a commitment, but Roxan wasn’t ready to settle down. Finally, she realized that Vernon was her true love and soul mate. They married in 1970 and spent a wonderful, love-filled 51 years together. Roxan and Vernon were incredible, loving, affectionate parents to their daughter, Kristi and son, Wesley. Their marriage was a shining example of what love and partnership should be. Roxan was thrilled when Kristi and Wesley found their own true loves and the family expanded with four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Always a hardworking woman, Roxan began working for the Apex Post Office in 1985. She started as a part-time mail carrier, and worked her way up to a position as a full-time window clerk. She also handled all of the bulk mailings for the Henry Wurst Company. Roxan loved her job, and was especially proud to follow in the footsteps of her father as a postal employee.

When Vernon retired from the EPA in 2000, Roxan quit work as well. They travelled the country in their fifth wheel camper, exploring America on the road at their own pace. Some of Roxan’s fondest memories included camping with friends and family.

Roxan loved the Lord and was a long-time member of Green Level Baptist Church. She loved her family and friends, camping, sudoku and word search puzzles, and good conversation. She had a wonderful sense of humor - a beautiful, bright smile - a huge, loving heart - an inquisitive nature – and a generous spirit. She made everyone around her feel special. There will never be another like her.

Roxan was preceded in death by her husband, Vernon, her parents, and her brother Pete Mann (Becky).

She is survived by her daughter, Kristi Daughtridge Lawrence (Jeremy); son, Wesley Daughtridge (Fran); four grandchildren – Sage Daughtridge, Colton Daughtridge, Jonathan Lawrence (Amanda Fanning), and Catherine Lawrence (Evan Rochford); two great-grandchildren – Lucy and Oliver Lawrence; a brother, Joe Mann (Jenny); and a sister, Penny Mann (John Wood).

A memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, January 4, 2025, at Green Level Baptist Church, 8509 Green Level Church Road, Cary, NC 27519. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the church. Family and friends can also view the memorial virtually at www.greenlevel.com

Memorials may be sent to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org

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