Martha Jane Furman

Martha Jane Bird Furman, 95, of Pompano Beach, Florida, went home to be with the Lord on Easter morning, April 17, 2022. Mrs. Furman was born on March 21, 1927, in Jacksonville, Florida, to Lucille (Kendrick) and Charles Lorraine Bird. She married Frank Hays Furman, Jr. on December 8, 1951. She deeply loved her Lord and her family. With her husband, Martha Jane supported numerous church, community, education, and business organizations. She was a quiet and humble person, never seeking attention, and always providing encouragement, wise counsel, and support. She was a wonderful mother and loved her children unconditionally. Her children were blessed to call her “Mom.”

Martha Jane was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brother, Charles Lorraine Bird, Jr., and her son, John Kendrick Furman. She is survived by her daughters, June Michel (Bruce) of San Antonio, Texas, and Jane DeJong (Dirk) of Lighthouse Point, Florida; daughter-in-law, Erin Furman of Methuen, Massachusetts; six grandchildren, Matthew Michel, Drew Michel, Douglas DeJong, Allison Sorenson (DeJong), Frank Lee Furman, and Robert Furman; and five great-grandchildren, Claire Michel, Corinne Michel, Bruce Michel, Stella Sorenson, and Robert Cade Sorenson.

Mrs. Furman graduated from Scarritt College, Tennessee, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Education. She and her husband founded Frank H. Furman, Inc., a general insurance agency, on September 1, 1962. They built the agency on a foundation of customer service, trust, and giving back to the community, and the agency grew to be one of the largest and most respected independent insurance agencies in the southeast.

Mrs. Furman was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Pompano Beach from 1956 to the present. She actively supported the Southeastern Jurisdictional Council of the United Methodist Church located at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. For many years, Martha Jane enjoyed spending summers at her home on Atkins Loop. Her children and grandchildren have many fond memories of attending annual family reunions at the Lake and visiting her at the “Duck House.”

A memorial service to honor the lives of Martha Jane Bird Furman and Frank Hays Furman, Jr. will be held on July 7, 2022, at 10 a.m. in the Memorial Chapel at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to John Knox Village, the Lake Junaluska Assembly, or Christ Church Fort Lauderdale.

The family wishes to thank everyone for their words of comfort during this difficult time. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.forestlawnnorth.com.

Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day Unseen, unheard but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear.