Betty Ellis Martin

Betty Ellis Martin, age 94, passed away on Sunday, February 19, 2017. Betty was born on August 29, 1922 in Rushden, Northamptonshire, England. She was the oldest daughter in a family of one son and seven daughters. She met her future husband, Kell Bailey Martin, of Vancleave, while he was stationed in England during WWII. She later married Kell, her husband of 65 years. Betty was a lifelong resident of Jackson County. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula where she was a devoted Sunday school teacher, choir member, and was active in the Women of the Church for many years. She and Kell moved to Vancleave, MS in 1983 and enjoyed thirty years of retirement. First Presbyterian Church of Ocean Springs became her church home and she continued to serve in various ministries. Betty enjoyed traveling to her native England and often hosted her relatives in her home in Pascagoula and Vancleave. Betty moved to Jackson, MS in 2015. She was a faithful and loving wife and mother, a loyal and fun-loving grandmother, and a dedicated friend to those who knew and loved her. Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Kell Martin. Betty's survivors include her daughter, Davina Martin (Terry) Levy of Jackson, MS; her son, John Kelvin (Marcella) Martin of Hattiesburg, MS; two sisters, Joan Baker of London, England and Jean Norris Lowestoft, England; three grandsons, Philip, Mark, and Andrew Levy; and six great-grandchildren, Lillian, George, Betty, Grace, Louise, and James Levy. Visitation will be held Thursday, February 23, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., with an 11:00 service, all at the First Presbyterian Church of Ocean Springs. Interment will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery at 12:30 p.m. The Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.