Martha Louise Spoor

Martha Louise Spoor, Child of God, died peacefully at home on May 6, 2008, following a five-year battle against breast cancer. She was only 39 years old and had so much more living to do and many more lives to touch.

Martha was born on April 11, 1969 in San Antonio, Texas. A lifelong resident of San Antonio, Martha attended the Alamo Heights schools Howard Elementary, Alamo Heights Junior School and Alamo Heights High School, graduating with high honors in 1987. She attended Davidson College in Davidson, NC and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with the Class of 1992. Following graduation, she returned to San Antonio and received her Master of Arts in Teaching Degree from Trinity University in 1994.

Martha's greatest passion was teaching, and for almost fourteen years she fulfilled her long-held dream as an English teacher at her beloved Alamo Heights Junior School. Above all others, her favorite assignment was to teach sixth grade Pre-AP/Gifted and Talented English students, inspiring and encouraging them, especially in their writing skills. She loved her students as if they were her own children and always believed in their abilities to do better work than they thought they could. Martha was determined to teach as long as she was physically able, deriving strength from her precious students. She enjoyed the sense of family created by her colleagues, the students and their parents and thrived on being a part of it. The most painful and courageous decision of her life was to retire from the classroom because she could no longer fulfill her own high expectations.

While her physical presence was taken from us too soon, Martha's bright spirit will live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew and loved her. She was passionate about everything that caught her fancy and rarely entered into any project without her whole heart. She was generous to the extreme and derived great pleasure from selecting and giving gifts to family, friends and colleagues. Martha was a stickler for proper grammar usage and correct spelling, often offering unsolicited guidance to those who erred. She enjoyed physical activity, especially working out at the gym and playing ping pong, but also had fun watching sporting events on TV. She loved to bake, play Trivial Pursuit, and listen to an eclectic variety of music on her iPod.

Martha was a loving daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend. She is survived by her parents, David and Louise "Tookie" Parrish Spoor of San Antonio, TX; brother Stephen and his wife Jodi, niece Emma and niece and godchild Eileen, all of Boerne, TX; sister Susan of Carrollton, TX; uncles and aunts Jack and Patty Parrish Hurt of Houston, TX and Dan and Janice Bourdon Spoor of Georgetown, TX; godparents Dan and Molly Webster of San Antonio, TX and the Honorable Sam Sparks of Austin, TX; and numerous cousins. She is also survived by her beloved kitties, Cinnamon and Callie. She was preceded in death by her grandparents Harry and Mildred Merrill Spoor of Houston, TX and Ray and Etna "Grannie" Stolz Parrish of Galveston, TX; aunt Patricia Spoor Carroll of Fredericksburg, TX; cousins Leslie Anne Spoor of Honolulu, HI and Zachary Owen Bueker of Pittsboro, NC; and other godmother Arden Reed Sparks of El Paso, TX.

Numerous special people filled important roles in Martha's life. The Spoor family especially wishes to acknowledge the late "Miss Leatha" Mills, who loved Martha like her own, and Luz MariaYutani, whose loving presence continues to bring quiet comfort into our home.

Martha's family would like to express sincere appreciation to all of Martha's many doctors and nurses, especially to Dr. Richard Ferguson and the staff of Bethany Hospice, for their compassionate care. They would also like to thank the administration, faculty, and staff of the Alamo Heights Independent School District, along with Martha's students and their parents, for their loving support and understanding throughout her illness.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at Christ Episcopal Church, 510 Belknap Place, San Antonio, TX, with the Rev. John Barrett and the Rev. Julia Boyd Mitchener of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, NC, officiating. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. It was Martha's desire to be cremated, with her ashes scattered by her loving family at a later date.

At Martha's request, in lieu of flowers, memorial remembrances may be made to The Martha Spoor Young Writers Fund, c/o The Alamo Heights School Foundation, 7101 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209.