Martha Jean Holtsclaw Brantley, or as we know her, Mom, or as her students know her, Mrs. Brantley, was born in Chandler, AZ on December 11, 1952 to Charles and Patricia Holtsclaw. She was the second of six children and spent her childhood growing up in Yarbrough subdivision in Shreveport, Louisiana surrounded by a loving family and many friends with which she formed life-long relationships. After graduating from Fair Park High School she began attending Louisiana Tech where she met, and later married, Michael Brantley and had three children; Robert, David, and Kori. Later she attended Louisiana State University in Shreveport to complete a degree in education with which she began a long and happy career of 32 years as a kindergarten teacher at Benton Elementary.
Martha's lifelong passion was teaching. She especially loved teaching young children. One of her favorite moments was to see the excitement in a child's eyes when they grasped a new concept or skill, be it spelling, reading, or even just learning to keep the colors mostly in the lines. She delighted in making education exciting for her students by engaging their imagination. Students in her classes over the years would get to experience the mischievious antics of Leprechauns on St. Patrick's day, or being turned into a frog, however briefly, when she made her witch's brew for Halloween, to name a few. There wasn't a special school day event or holiday that you would find her without a wild costume and even more wildly colored hair. On any given evening you could find her at home hard at work cutting out and creating activities for her students. Martha also taught Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and helped to create and run Camp Gofor, a summer camp for kids with cancer, for several years. Even retirement could not keep her from her passion and she spent several more years teaching pre-school at Cypress Day Care. Every day she walked into the classroom, she did so with a smile on her face, looking forward to the challenge of teaching children to become their best selves, both in class and in life.
Martha was devoted mother to her three children. She loved us and was proud of us and told us as much all the time, despite our rather numerous efforts to the contrary. As a grandmother she loved every moment spent with her four grandchildren and considered the opportunity to be a teacher to each grandchild one of her most cherished achievements.
Martha was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Patricia Holtsclaw, her sister Susan Hadaway, and her daughter, Kori Parker Connell. She is survived by her sons, Robert Brantley (Cindy) and David Brantley (Shanon), her grandchildren (whom she was especially proud of) Baleigh Parker, Cabren Parker, Griffith Aidyn Brantley, and Emery Brantley, and her siblings Carol Robinson (Monte), Laura Williamson (Mark), John Holtsclaw, and Jim Holtsclaw (Kim).
We would like to extend our appreciation and thanks for taking care of Mom to the staffs at Bloom at Bossier and The Colonial Oaks. We would also like to thank Bristol Hospice and their nurses Jody and Madison for their gentle and compassionate care of Mom during her last days with us.
There will be a celebration of Martha's life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a local education charity of your choice.
Mom, we love you and we miss you. We also hope you didn't get distracted by too many rainbows on your way to heaven :)
