A lifelong resident of Cherryville, North Carolina, Martha was born on July 20, 1921, the eldest daughter of Ernest Sellers and Aubra Brown Sellers. In addition to her parents, Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Walter Lee Pope; son, Timothy Sellers Pope; sister, Nell Sellers Pope; brother, Sloan Sellers; and great-grandson, Nathan Yesowitch.
A 1938 graduate of Cherryville High School, Martha attended Montreat College and Lenoir Rhyne College. In 1941, she married Walter Pope, shortly before he was deployed to Europe to serve in the US Army during World War II. Martha was well known in Cherryville, working at the public library for thirty years, and retiring at the age of seventy-six in 1997.
A lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church of Cherryville, Martha was very active in her earlier years in the Women of the Church and other church activities. She served as a children’s Sunday School teacher and as a teacher in the special needs Sunday School class which she helped establish. After her retirement from the library, Martha continued to serve her church as a part of the CARE program.
A caring and vibrant woman, Martha lived her life with three guiding words – Perseverance, Simplicity, Serenity. Conversations with Martha were always enjoyable and always informative. Reading, playing piano, gardening, and walking were among her favorite pastimes. She loved and enjoyed every moment she shared with her children and grandchildren. Martha treasured the outdoors, especially the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. A family gathering to remember and honor Martha will be held in her beloved mountains at a later time.
Surviving Martha are her four children, Laura Pope LeFevre (Bill) of Southport, NC, Susan Pope Windham (Keith) of Murrells Inlet, SC, Walter Daniel Pope (Pam) of Piney Flats, TN and Pamela Pope Link of Martinez, GA; daughter-in-law, Sondra Johnson Pope (Tim) of Laurel Springs, NC; seven grandchildren, Jennifer Wychock (Neal) of Anacortes, WA, Gray LeFevre (Mackenzie), Thomas LeFevre, Joseph LeFevre and Ethan LeFevre all of Southport, NC, Martha Yesowitch of Charlotte, NC, Shula Link of Martinez, GA; six great-grandchildren, John Henry Sellers Wychock of Anacortes, WA, Roxann and Owen LeFevre of Southport, NC, Asher and Nora Yesowitch of Charlotte, NC, and Ruby Link of Martinez, GA; special nephew and niece, Scot Pope of Creston, NC and Ann Pope Sims of Belmont, NC; beloved sister, Barbara Sellers Green of Durham, NC; special cousin, Brenda Stroupe Rutherford of Mocksville, NC; caring neighbors, Libby Beam and Alan Cannon of Cherryville, NC; treasured high school classmate, Gladys Frankenfurt of Cherryville, NC. Martha also had a special friend in NC Author, Clyde Edgerton of Wilmington, NC. She loved his books and they kept in touch with phone calls and letters.
The family humbly requests that any donations in Martha’s memory be directed to SECU Hospice House of Bolivia, NC or to the First Presbyterian Church of Cherryville, NC.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.whitefuneralservicesupply.com for the Pope family.
White Funeral and Cremation Service, Supply Chapel
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