Obituary of Beverly JoAnn Martin

Beverly JoAnn Martin, 82, of Mt. Juliet, TN went to be with her precious Lord and Savior on December 1, 2021. JoAnn was born October 12, 1939, in Crayne, KY to Thomas Hayden and Lorene (James) Harpending. Although her family moved around as a child, she always considered Kentucky her home and was proud of her Kentucky heritage. In high school she moved to St. Louis, MO where she met the love of her life, Floyd C. Martin. They married May 23, 1959, and together raised two wonderful children. In 1969 the family moved to Tennessee where she spent the remainder of her life. She worked as an Administrative Assistant for Tempstar for many years before retiring. She was an active member of First Baptist Church Mt. Juliet, teaching Sunday school for many years. JoAnn loved her Lord first and foremost and was an embodiment of the Proverbs 31 woman, exemplifying energy, strength, hard work, wisdom, and fear of the Lord. She had a sharp wit and always looked at the bright side of a situation. She was known for her great capacity for Bible memorization, memorizing the entire book of Philippians during her drives to and from work. In high school she was awarded the Girls’ Auxiliary Queen Regent, the highest honor for a GA. She was an avid student of the Bible, and although never attending college or seminary, was a self-taught theologian. Her knowledge and understanding of the scriptures and their application to daily life was a blessing and inspiration to many. JoAnn loved to cross-stitch and was always working on a project, usually to gift to a family member or friend. Her cross-stitched pictures were amazingly life-like and she was an annual blue-ribbon winner at the Wilson County State Fair. JoAnn also loved to garden and would spend hours tending to her yard, her green thumb causing beautiful flowers and bushes to spring to life. JoAnn’s favorite activity, though, was spending time with her family. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a devoted wife to her beloved husband, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health; whatever life threw their way, she was right there beside him, loving and encouraging him. She poured her life into her two children, raising them to love the Lord first and foremost and family second. Her grandchildren remember the love and care she put into their visits, from buying them special cereal, to driving across the county to take them swimming, to letting them slide belly first down her steps into the Christmas tree. Most of all they remember the love she showed them just by being present and active in their lives. She never missed a special event or birthday and was always so proud of their accomplishments, no matter how small. Of all her accomplishments and contributions, JoAnn will be remembered most of all for her love of her family, seconded only by her love for the Lord. JoAnn is preceded in death by her parents and by her brother, Kenneth Harpending. She is survived by her husband of 62 years Floyd C. Martin of Mt. Juliet, TN; her brother Perry Keith Harpending of St. Petersburg, FL; her two children, Doug (Sue Ann) Martin of Port Royal, TN; Sharon (Tim) Spurgeon of Marietta, GA; her five grandchildren, Kristi (Stephen) Thompson of Port Royal, TN; James (Megan) Martin of Bakersfield, CA; Matthew Martin of Port Royal, TN; Trevor Spurgeon of Marietta, GA; Leah Spurgeon of Marietta, GA; and her three great-grandchildren, Annalee and Emmalynn Thompson and Cameron Martin. The family will receive visitors Friday, December 10th from 4-8 pm at Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet, and again Saturday, December 11th from 11 am-1 pm at First Baptist Church Mt. Juliet. A service will be held at 1 pm December 11th at First Baptist Church Mt. Juliet with Doug Martin and James Martin officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Juliet Memorial Gardens with Dr. Phillip Dunn, Pastor First Baptist Church Mt. Juliet, officiating. Pallbearers will be James Martin, Matthew Martin, Trevor Spurgeon, Stephen Thompson, David Martin, and Ron Trowbridge. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation. Arrangements by Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet, 2229 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122, 615-758-5459, obituary line 615-758-8818, www.sellarsfuneralservices.com.