Sidney was born on April 5, 1945 to K.K. and Dean Johnson in Jefferson City, MO.
Sidney graduated from Jefferson City High School and attended University of Missouri - Columbia. She was married to James Edward Martin on June 19, 1965, and the couple made their home in Kansas City. Sidney was first a homemaker, and later managed a center that provided low cost recycled materials to teachers at the Learning Exchange and later the Children’s Museum until she retired.
Sidney was passionate about nature and most of her pastimes involved being outdoors. When her three children were young, she volunteered as the “Nature Lady” and led the installation of an Outdoor Lab at Truman Elementary. Each spring, she dedicated time to morel mushroom hunting, and all year round loved walking in the woods observing native plants and flowers. She was a devoted bird lover who fed songbirds of all types, and tended to many bird houses and even built a chimney swift tower. She enjoyed observing the Milky Way and meteor showers in the night sky. She was an avid flower and vegetable gardener, and an active member of the Kansas City Iris Society. She loved camping, backpacking and travel to beautiful natural places, especially the Missouri Ozarks and the Rocky Mountains. She loved international music, reggae and the blues. She was an excellent cook and loved food; she delighted in family meals and international food festivals.
In addition to her husband, Sidney is survived by daughters, Rachel Martin of Overland Park, KS and Hannah Humphrey (Nick) of Jefferson City, MO; siblings Virginia Johnson of Kansas City, MO and Whitman Johnson of Santa Fe, NM; sisters-in-law Linda Martin and Vickie Martin; three grandchildren, Samuel Deskin (Rachel), Ada Humphrey (Hannah) and Max Humphrey (Hannah); nephews Michael Martin, David Martin, Cory Martin and Hunter Martin; and nieces Melanie Walker and April Newman.
She was preceded in death by her son, Samuel T. Martin; parents; brothers Garrett Johnson, Douglas Johnson and Stephen Johnson; and brothers-in-law Daniel Martin and Randall Martin.
No services will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Planned Parenthood, an organization whose mission Sidney strongly supported.
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