Martha Jean Eberenz

Martha Jean Keeling Eberenz, 69, of Louisville KY, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by beloved family and friends on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 after battling breast cancer for over a decade. She was born on February 25, 1956. She attended grade school at St. Margaret Mary & graduated from Eastern High School in 1974 where she sang in the choir. While singing with the Agape Singers, an extra curricular local young adult Christian musical group that she participated in for many years, she met the love of her life, a gifted pianist named Jim, and they wed on October 6, 1979.

She went on to attain a B.A. in Music Education with a K-12 Vocal Concentration from Bellarmine University in 1978, a M.A.T. in The Art of Teaching from Spalding University in 1996, as well as a Music Ministry Certification from the Archdiocese of Louisville in 2001. Her musical talents and teaching abilities led her to pursue many opportunities with area schools and churches, where she impacted the lives of countless students and parishioners. Some of her favorite positions during her career included teaching chorus and music appreciation at Trinity High School & Spalding University, chorus and humanities at Mercy Academy, and music, art, and drama at Thomas Merton Academy. Her music ministry path led her to St. Bartholomew’s as Music Director, St. Edward as Choir Director, Guardian Angels as Parish Music Director, her home parish of St. Patrick as Contemporary Ensemble Director, and before retirement Watkins United Methodist Church as the traditional services Choir Director.

In 2012, she was honored with walking in the Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade with her daughter Jeannie, and because it rained she got to attend complimentary the following year where she walked alongside her husband Jim; lucky her! During the fall and holiday season, you would find her selling crafts at local craft shows; and she even was on the committee to get St. Margaret Mary’s annual show up and running back in the 1990s; a piece of trivia she always shared proudly. This past season she was able to participate in 5 shows before her health declined. Other interests included teaching piano and voice lessons from her home since the late 1970s, and most recently at Louisville Adventist Academy from 2008-2025.

She was known for throwing large parties usually involving a long game of Shanghai Rummy with friends, and gift giving excessively to loved ones and friends during Christmas time and birthday celebrations. Other hobbies included going to bingo with her daughter, attending meets at Churchill Downs, and cheering on University of Kentucky’s basketball and football programs. She was an avid fan of Kentucky Sports Radio, and never missed a post game show. In 2014 she developed her own community choir called Gift of Song, and they performed many shows for years at local library branches, and churches.

She was preceded in death by her parents Robert Lee Keeling Sr., & Jean Eleanor Jones Keeling of Middletown, KY; her daughters Laura Joella Eberenz & Meleah Rose Eberenz; and her niece Jesse Keeling. She is survived by her beloved husband of 46 years, James Harold Eberenz Jr.; her daughter, Jeannie Eberenz; her son, Brendan James Eberenz (Toni) of Smithfield, PA; her brother Robert L. Keeling II (Donna), her sister Donna Keeling; her grandson Angstrom Eberenz; her granddaughter Xyndl Eberenz; her niece Elizabeth “Betsy” Schroeder (Andrew) of Carlsbad, CA; her nephew Levi Keeling (Jessica); nephew Sam Wilson; great nephews Jason Schroeder & Parker Keeling; great nieces Jesse Schroeder & Reese Keeling; as well as beloved Jones, Keeling, and Eberenz cousins and close relatives.

Because these organizations helped Martha’s children who had special healthcare needs, in lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution to either Home of the Innocents at https://homeoftheinnocents.org/ or the WHAS Crusade for Children at https://www.whascrusade.org/

Visitation will be held at Arch L. Heady & Son Funeral Home & Cremation Services, located at 7410 Westport Road, Louisville, Kentucky, 40222, on January 15, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Additional visitation will take place at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1000 N Beckley Station Rd, Louisville, Kentucky, 40245, on January 16, 2026, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am.

The Funeral Mass will be held at St. Patrick Catholic Church on January 16, 2026, at 10:00 am.

The committal will follow at Calvary Cemetery, 1600 Newburg Rd, Louisville, Kentucky, 40205, on January 16, 2026, at 11:30 am.