Martha Gaddy Bounds passed away on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at the Glen in Shreveport. She was born in Bond, Mississippi, on January 15, 1927, and spent her early years in Mississippi. She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi where she earned a degree in home economics education and met her husband-to-be Dean Bounds.
After briefly teaching school in the Mississippi Delta, she and Dean moved to Shreveport in the mid 1950s. After having children, Martha took a pause from teaching and immersed herself in the needs of her family and the Southern Hills community. She volunteered with the PTA and Scouts, cared for and chauffeured her children to their many activities and was a longtime member of Summer Grove United Methodist Church.
Martha was a kind and gentle soul. She was unflappable, got along with everyone, and, as far as her children can remember, she never made an enemy. Years later, when a relative asked each of her children if their early years were as idyllic as one of them had described them, they all independently said, yes, they were. She was a Southern lady to her very core. She was gracious and unfailingly polite. She valued good manners in others, too, and for many years the distractions of the outside world would disappear while she took a mid-morning break to sip a Coke from a little glass bottle.
Martha had a soft spot for children, often saying she should have majored in elementary school education, rather than home economics, especially since she didn’t much care for sewing, ironing or housework. So, after her children were older, she went back to work for the Caddo Parish school system, first as a substitute teacher and then as a tutor for elementary school students who needed extra help with their classwork.
After retiring, she effortlessly segued to life as a retiree. She was an avid reader, watched Jeopardy nightly, and, before too long, her dear sister Sybil Martin, who had never lived in Shreveport, moved around the corner. The two sisters, both widows by then, saw each other almost every day. They traveled together on group tours and on long-distance road trips, Sybil always at the wheel and Martha taking in the scenery and just enjoying being with Sybil. They visited their children and traveled to places they had always wanted to see, like New England when the brilliant fall foliage was at its peak, and they did some things they never thought they’d do, like riding the rapids while white-water rafting in North Carolina when they were well into their seventies.
Then, just as she had always done, when it was time to slow down, Martha made the transition to that next phase of her life with her usual grace. She was loved by many, especially by her family and friends who doted over her in her final years, visiting, calling and showering her with cards and gifts. In her later years, Martha often said, “I’m just letting the world come to me.” And, indeed, it did.
Martha was predeceased by her beloved husband of nearly forty years, Dean Bounds; her parents, Mary Elizabeth “Molly” and Ira Eugene Gaddy; and her brother Dr. Ira Eugene Gaddy Jr.
She is survived by her three children, Dean (Pam) Bounds of Blanchard, Mary Catherine (Peter) Applebome of Nashville, TN, and Dr. Walter (Michelenne) Bounds of Shreveport; seven grandchildren, Ben (Bethany) Applebome, Emma (Tom) Farley, Noah (Meredith), Daniel, Faith, Hope and Charity Bounds; one great-grandchild Lily Applebome; sister Sybil Martin; brother Dr. James Hurd Gaddy; brother-in-law Lowery Key Bounds; numerous nieces, nephews and their spouses and children on both sides of the extended, close-knit Gaddy and Bounds families; and special friends, Bonnie Barron, Elaine Vassar and Pauline Zeigler.
The family extends heartfelt thanks to Kathy, Melinda, Brenda and Dawn, to Dr. Alan Borne, Dr. Robert Hernandez, the staff at the Glen and Lifepath Hospice for their compassionate care during Martha’s final months.
A private graveside service for immediate family will be held at Centuries Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 8801 Mansfield Road, Shreveport, Louisiana 71108.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Martha’s honor can be made to Volunteers of American Lighthouse Afterschool Program; 360 Jordan St, Shreveport, Louisiana, 71101 or a charity of choice.
