Martha Ann Widner Kyle, aged 78, passed peacefully on September 27, 2018, at Heritage at Longview in Longview, Texas. She was born January 27, 1940, in Center, Shelby County, TX, and was known to her family as "Pete."

Martha graduated from Carthage High School in 1958 and attended Panola College. On November 7, 1959, she married Charles Frenchie Kyle at Carthage Missionary Baptist Church. During the early years of their marriage, they moved frequently between Carthage, Longview, Shreveport, LA, and Sikeston, MO. In 1969 they settled in Shreveport, where they lived until retiring in 2003.

Martha spent summers in high school visiting relatives and working at their drive-in theater, and then later worked for the Sikeston school system. In Shreveport she served as a teacher's aide at Ridgewood Junior High School and as a secretary at Central Missionary Baptist Church, before working over 20 years as office manager for several insurance companies.  During this time, she was a member and officer of the Port of Shreve Chapter of the American Business Women's Association.

Prior to becoming members of Longview Missionary Baptist Church, Martha and Frenchie were faithful servants of Liberty Missionary Baptist Church in Shreveport. Martha was also a wonderfully creative teacher of high school and college students and young adults at Shreveport's Forbing Woods Missionary Baptist Church and Central Missionary Baptist Church.

Martha will be remembered as a loving wife, mother and grandmother, a true friend, a wise mentor and a neighbor you could count on in good times and bad.

Martha is survived by her beloved husband of 58 years Frenchie; son Dwight (Cindy); daughter Alana (Chris); granddaughter Mackenzie; aunt, Elizabeth Wedgeworth; and many cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her infant daughter Arlisa Beth, her mother Mary Bailey Widner—who sadly passed when Martha was just three months old—and her grandparents, Fletcher and Beulah Bailey, who raised her.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, at Jimerson-Lipsey Funeral Home Chapel Dr. Joe Brown officiating. Interment will follow in Odd Fellows Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday at the funeral home.

Pallbearers are David Wooley, Joe Wooley, Jim Wooley, William Goolsby, Steven Wedgeworth, and Chris O'Brien.

Our family would like to extend our gratitude to the staff at Heritage at Longview in Longview, TX, the staff at Texas Home Health for their loving care, and her Visiting Angels home caregivers.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Assn.

A guestbook may be signed online at www.jimerson-lipsey.com.