Martha E. Gilbert

Martha Ellen Gilbert, 78, passed away November 24, 2013. She was born October 29, 1935 in Moffett, OK, to the late Everett Henry and Hattie Mae (Ware) McCleod. She moved to Fort Smith in 1953 and graduated from Fort Smith High School where her father was on the school board. She was in the Glee Club and played basketball. Martha was an active member of Calvary Baptist Church in Fort Smith where she helped in the food pantry. She was a loving mother with a tender heart, open to giving and receiving the love of many. Martha married Roland Paul Hamilton Sr. in 1954 and they made their home in Michigan and Fort Smith. She is survived by four children, Roland Paul Hamilton Jr., Virginia Annalee Mahan, Rebecca Diane Denton, and Michael Edward Hamilton. After the passing of her first husband, Martha married Ernest Laban Gilbert on November 20, 1985, and she received four more children; Susan Gail Miller, Paul Ernest Gilbert, Kimberly Ann Wagoner and Donna Lynn Warren. She is also survived by her sixteen grandchildren, twenty-five great grandchildren, one great-great grandchild and a host of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her late husbands, Roland Paul Hamilton Sr. and Ernest Laban Gilbert as well as two sisters; Bula Mae Faries and Wanda Lee Hill; and her brother Bobby Jack McCleod. Funeral Service will be 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, November 27, 2013, at Calvary Baptist Church under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home, with burial in U.S. National Cemetery in Fort Smith. Pallbearers will be: Tim Morphew, Joel Webb, Chris Williamson, Chad and Seth Warren, Michael Miller, and Dennis Powers.

Honorary Pallbearers will be: Jeremy Denton and members of the Mary/Martha Sunday School Class. Visitation will be Tuesday, November 26, 2013, from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM at Edwards Funeral Home. Memorials may be sent to Calvary Baptist Church Food Pantry, 2301 Midland Blvd., Fort Smith, AR 72904. Online condolences may be sent to www.edwardsfuneralhome.com