Martha Rachel Mathis Seymour went home to be with our Heavenly Father on March 28, 2024, at The Stuart House in Centralia. Her daughters, Nancy and Robin, were at her side.
Born in Sturgeon, Missouri, to Zalie White Mathis and Miller Mathis, Martha was the youngest of five children. Her older siblings and parents loved her very much. And, in her teens, she knew the love of a very special young man, Sidney Seymour, who would become her husband of 69 years. Sid and Martha were married on May 10, 1953, in Sturgeon. Because of Sid’s job with the Wabash Railroad, they relocated a few times before settling back home in Sturgeon just in
time to have their first daughter, Nancy. Soon after, came their second daughter, Robin. They spent the remainder of their lives in Sturgeon where they were active in their church and in their community.
Martha attended and graduated from Sturgeon High School. She was quite an athlete in her
younger years playing SHS basketball and softball, and later in life, she enjoyed playing golf with Sid and their friends. She coached Sturgeon summer league teams and was active in the SHS booster club while her daughters played on SHS teams; always a Bulldog! Martha was a big fan of the MU Tigers, going to football, softball, and volleyball games for many years.
If you knew Martha, you loved her. She was spunky, playful, witty, and so very full of life and laughter. She loved her entire family fiercely and fully. As one of her nephews said about her, “Our entire family lost an incredible light that became such a reminder of the great family we all had the blessing to be a part of.” Martha’s five grandchildren brought so much love and joy into her life. Lydia, Margaret, Ben, Ian, and Colin were deeply loved by their grandmother. Her legacy of loving hard and laughing big lives on in her daughters and her grandchildren. Martha dearly loved her many lifelong friends and also loved her second family, the staff at The Stuart House.
Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Sid, on June 18, 2022; her parents, Zalie and Miller Mathis; her siblings, Mildred Mathis Winscott, Eldred Mathis, Oneta Mathis Carr, and Clifford Mathis. Martha is survived by daughters Nancy Seymour Truesdell of Sturgeon and Robin Seymour Smith (Larry) of Castle Pines, Colorado, and by grandchildren Lydia Truesdell,
Chicago, Illinois; Ben Truesdell, Chicago, Illinois; Margaret Smith, Castle Pines, Colorado; Ian Smith (Janies), Fort Riley, Kansas; and Colin Smith, Austin, Texas. She is also survived by beloved nieces and nephews and their families.
A service to remember and celebrate her life will be held on Monday, April 15th at the Sturgeon Baptist Church. Visitation will begin at 10:00 and the service will begin at 11:00. Burial will follow at Mt. Horeb Cemetery in Sturgeon.
Memorial donations are suggested to the Sturgeon Baptist Church in care of Fenton-Kendrick Funeral Home 104 S. Collier St. Centralia, MO 65240.
Online condolences may be left at www.fetonkendrickfh.com
