Martha Ann Kenyon

Martha Ann Carpenter Kenyon, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and lifelong servant of the Lord, passed peacefully into the arms of her Savior on May 24, 2026. She was 76 years old. Born on May 19, 1950, in Ratón, New Mexico, Martha Ann Carpenter grew up with a spirit shaped by faith, music, and a deep love for others — gifts she would spend her entire life giving away.

Martha’s story found its great love in 1968 when she met Dean Kenyon at Wayland Baptist College. The two were married on December 20, 1969, in Portland, Oregon, beginning a partnership rooted in faith and filled with music, laughter, and purpose. In 1987, Dean and Martha made their home in Georgia, where their family would continue to grow and flourish.

A devoted pastor’s wife throughout Dean’s long-term ministries, Martha stood faithfully beside him in every chapter of service. Her love for Jesus was not a quiet thing — it was the current that ran beneath everything she did. A gifted musician, she accompanied worship at various churches for more than 60 years, and for much of that time also led church choirs, filling sanctuaries with music that pointed hearts toward heaven.

While raising her children, Martha taught piano lessons from her home, nurturing young musicians with patience and warmth. In 2000, she brought that same dedication to the classroom, beginning a seventeen-year career teaching middle school English at E.T. Booth Middle School. Countless students passed through her care and were shaped by her love for language, her high expectations, and her genuine belief in each one of them. Her impact was perhaps best captured when a former student chose Mrs. Kenyon as his STAR Teacher — an honor recognizing the teacher who had been most influential in his life.

Beyond her public ministry and vocation, Martha was a gifted cook, a talented painter, and an irreplaceable caretaker to all who needed her. Her table was always open, her hands always busy, and her heart always wide. She poured herself into her family and friends with a generosity that left no room for half measures.

Martha was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Fannie Beatrice Carpenter and William Carl Carpenter, Jr.

Martha is survived by her husband of 56 years, Dean Kenyon; her three children and their spouses: Cara and Christian, Josh and Shanna, and Amy and Don; her thirteen cherished grandchildren: Kyler, Emma Grace (Sam), Audrey, Anna, Lily Kate, Jackson, Jude, Ava, Eliza, Ella, Kenyon, Noah, and Emmett; her great-grandson Oliver; a new grandbaby, Shepherd, expected soon — a final, joyful gift she carried in her heart; and her four sisters: Pat MacDowell (Les), Mollie Bedwell (Carroll), Mary Panther, and Carla Martin (Mike).

Martha Ann Kenyon lived exactly as she believed: with her whole heart, for her Lord, her family, and the people He placed in her path. The music she made, the students she shaped, the meals she cooked, and the prayers she prayed have left a mark on this world that will not soon fade.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:23