Martha Townsend LeVelle

Martha was an early resident of the new suburb of University Park, and her childhood home later became the Park Cities YMCA and sat on the land that is now Centennial Park. As a girl, she chased fireflies along the creek and ate peaches off the trees at her home on the edge of town. Martha was a strong student at Highland Park High School. She loved playing intramural basketball and edited the Highlander yearbook. Martha was in high school when Japanese forces hit Pearl Harbor.

Martha really felt the impact of World War II while she was in college at Dallas’ Southern Methodist University and met fellow student and handsome young naval officer, James Alfred LeVelle. They fell in love and planned to wed as soon as he was discharged from the Navy. While he attended officers’ candidacy school out of state and served in the Pacific, Martha earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 3 years. In addition, Martha was editor-in-chief and photographer-in-chief for the SMU yearbook, the Rotunda. She spent many dark days and evenings in the basement office of Fondren Auditorium with her lifelong friend Harriet McCall Herndon, as they tried to find enough film and paper to produce a yearbook during wartime. At SMU, she was also a member of Mortar Board, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Kirkos.

Martha and James married at the home of her parents on August 20, 1946. Their marriage was a happy, enduring union of 66 years. James called Martha “my redhead” until his death in 2012, long after her hair had turned white.

Martha and James were caring and supportive parents to Martha, Julianne, and James Alfred, Jr. Besides passing the example of love and encouragement to successive generations, they instilled in their descendants a love of travel. Family beach trips included stays along the Texas coast and the beaches of California. Martha was constantly vigilant for sharks circling offshore, awaiting their opportunities to grab and eat children and adults alike. However, she never missed “Shark Week” and read and re-read The Devil’s Teeth.

As her eldest child entered college, Martha took a job at SMU and worked her way up to become secretary to the Provost. Martha and James were blessed with the health and energy to travel well beyond the years when most people are slowing down. Their later adventures included a trip to Cairo, Egypt, immediately following a hotel terrorist attack on tourists. They went on safari to Kenya, where Martha loved the wildlife but thought sharing their tent with lizards and monkeys was a bridge too far. The couple walked the Great Wall of China, saw Tiananmen Square, ventured through Alaska to the North Shore and Prudhoe Bay, and took tours to England, France, Spain, and Germany. Martha and James also found a strong common interest in the North Texas countryside. They purchased a 60-acre farm near Collinsville, and tractor-driving became one of Martha’s favorite activities.

Martha was an avid reader and sports fan. She created beautiful needlework, maintained multiple collections, and joined a bowling league when she and James moved to Crown Place in Richardson after his retirement. She was a volunteer for the American Red Cross, the Dallas Zoo, and Dallas Presbyterian Hospital. She was a member of the Mary K. Craig Class. At age 96, Martha shared the secret of her longevity: have a Coke and Snickers daily for lunch! She always had a terrific sense of humor and was a remarkable example of how to love well and live well. At 99, she was ready to depart from this life and see what awaited her next. After years of traveling the globe with James, his adored redhead is now traveling with him on a journey through eternity.

Martha was preceded in death by her husband, James Alfred LeVelle; her parents, Jackson Norton Townsend and Julian Trueheart Townsend; her siblings, Virginia Townsend Upton, Ruth Townsend Smith, Jackson Norton Townsend, Jr., and Susan Townsend Schreiber; and her brother-in-law, Murry Edward LeVelle. She is survived by her children, Martha LeVelle Murray (Michael), Julianne LeVelle Joost (John), and James Alfred LeVelle, Jr. (Jeanne Haisler); 8 grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild; 14 nieces and nephews; and many grandnieces and grandnephews. She was cared for with great love and gentleness at the end of her life by Isata Jabaty and the staff at Presbyterian Village North, and the family offers deep appreciation to them.

Graveside service will be held Tuesday, May 12, at 1:00 p.m. at Sparkman Hillcrest. Reception will follow immediately afterwards.

Please use the following link to view the Livestream of the services: https://youtube.com/live/9xM2sBhEh1I

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Martha's memory to Highland Park Methodist Church at myhpumc.org/give or to United Cerebral Palsy by visiting give.ucp.org.