Martha Hellams Willis

WILLIS, Martha (Hellams) passed away peacefully Monday morning, August 20, 2018 at her home in Plant City. She began her life in Gray Court, South Carolina, and was 89 years old at the time of her passing. As a young woman, she attended Columbia College in South Carolina and married her soulmate, who had completed his service in the US Navy during World War II. She was a long-time member of the First United Methodist Churches in both Plant City and her second home of Englewood, Florida. Prior to her retirement from teaching, she spent nearly every weekend at her beach home in Englewood. After retirement, she religiously spent half of every week there, Wednesday to Sunday, right up until the last few months of her life. Although she waited until her children were more independent to start her teaching education at the University of South Florida, she worked for 25 years teaching second and third grade classes at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School. She was active for many years in a retired teachers’ sorority that assembled regularly.

She loved spending time at the beach, cooking, eating seafood, completing the crossword puzzle daily, and being with her many friends and especially her family. She and her husband were inseparable. Before raising a family together, they moved up and down the east coast of the country for his career as a USDA inspector of agriculture prior to settling permanently in Plant City. Following his retirement, he helped her to maintain the home while she returned to school. She was so proud of all her children, her daughter the registered nurse and her two sons, both entrepreneurs and small business owners. She was the mother-in-law that most would envy, the kind that made her children’s spouses forget the “in-law” part. Everyone knew her as a sweet-natured and soft-spoken woman of God. She was the heart of her family. She served as her husband’s ears throughout much of their marriage due to his hearing loss. She was the family accountant and designated school paper proofreader.

For nearly 40 years, she loved every minute of being Nena to her five grandchildren. For her eldest three grandchildren, she was Nena at home and Mrs. Willis during school hours for their elementary years. She was an incredibly competent, patient, and strict but warm teacher, who did not let her soft spot for her grandkids interfere with proper education. She was never too tired to play ball with them in the front yard or play the piano while they played or sang along. For her younger two grandchildren, she was their constant companion at Englewood Beach. As she aged, they were among her best assistants, helping her with cooking, frying fish, taking her shopping, and painting her nails. Although her struggle with memory and illness caused her to lose little bits of who she was in her final days, her love for children was unwavering and unforgotten. She lit up every time she saw her first great-grandchild, who was lucky to have known her for the first five months of life.

Martha was predeceased by her parents, Ralph and Nancy (Campbell) Hellams; two brothers, Charles and Dr. James Hellams; and two sisters, Barbara (Hellams) Buchan (Homer) and Frances (Hellams) Miller (Bill). She is survived by her devoted husband of 70 years, Arthur Carroll Willis; two sons, Michael (Sherry) Willis and Brian (Karen) Willis; one daughter, Kathryn (Barry) Baker; five grandchildren, Shannon Baker, Eric Baker, Crystal Willis, Brenton Willis, and Kariana Willis; one great-grandchild, Ziva Willis; her sister-in-law, Nancy (Tate) Hellams; and many nieces and nephews. Services will be at Wells (Dignity) Memorial in Plant City on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at 11AM with visitation from 10-11AM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to:

Florida United Methodist Children’s Home

PO Box 6299

Deltona, FL 32728-9988

WELLS MEMORIAL AND EVENT CENTER

813-752-1111