Martha Sue Bowyer

Martha Sue Bowyer, child and friend of God, welcoming neighbor to everyone she knew, loving wife to Randall Bowyer, joyful mother to Thomas, Timothy, and Katherine Bowyer (Hanson), proud grandmother to Piper, Finley, Rowan, Theodore, Kathryn, Kristan, and Abigail, servant of many in the fields of Christian Education, adventure and team-building, hospital care and hospice nursing, southern hospitality and storytelling, died on Sunday, July 28, at Cottingham Hospice House in Seneca, SC, finally completing her earthly pilgrimage and entering her heavenly home.
Martha Sue was born, the only child of Martha and Thomas Burns Carroll, in Murfreesboro,
Tennessee, in 1950. She was raised both there and in Kentucky to love the farm and the home, to honor God and enjoy life. She described her childhood as a mixture of her mother’s southern elegance and her father’s kind and gentle doting—part etiquette training, part training in mischief and fun. Martha Sue came of age in the 1960s, and grew to love Jesus and to extend her bright and brilliant kindness to all members of the human race. She took up a college program in biology at Middle Tennessee State University. In college she met some of her life-long friends as well as a college minister who helped her to understand what it meant to live in a sincere, loving relationship with God and how to participate in the life adventure of service and ministry through Christ.
After completing her college degree, she attended Wheaton College for a Master’s in Christian Education with emphasis in wilderness camping. She remembers fondly summers (and winters) at Honeyrock Camp in Wisconsin, leading canoe trips, building godly young women, and riding Clydesdale horses in the snow. She was hired by Montreat College in North Carolina to work in Student Development where she cultivated her passion for helping young people through times of uncertainty and fear by creating spaces for them to encounter the living God in his wonderful creation. She gifted to these young people an appreciation for their questions, courage to face challenges and believe in one-another, and showed them the endless joy of searching for God in
an infinitely diverse and beautiful creation.
A young man came to Montreat from Michigan who shared Martha Sue’s passion for wilderness excursion and building up youth in the Kingdom of God. His name was Randy Bowyer. It took a number of trips, pranks, Bible Studies, shared discussions, a fated motorcycle ride, an engagement called off, and the force of God’s providence to put them together, but they married, with her father and mother’s blessing (in spite of Randy’s northerliness), in 1980.
The season of their early marriage was marked with more college ministry, graduate studies in Mississippi, and work at King College in Bristol, TN. All three of their children, Thomas,Timothy and Katherine were born there, before a series of disappointments, sicknesses, and then new opportunities moved them to Central, South Carolina, their home to this day. Here they integrated into First Wesleyan Church, now ALIVE, Central Wesleyan College, now Southern Wesleyan University, and formed fast friendships with others in the church, college and community. Martha Sue served the college in Admissions and worked at a florist shop for 10 years while raising the children, always spreading her wonder for the world and encouraging adventure, fun, responsibility, love, and forgiveness.
As her children were near the completion of their college careers, Martha Sue, ever wondering what was next and looking for opportunities to learn, went back to school and studied to become a Registered Nurse. In 2008 she finished top of her class at the age of 58 and her friends and family proudly celebrated her graduation and a new nursing job at Oconee Memorial Hospital.
She quickly gained respect as a leader in compassion, often seeking out the most difficult
patients and winning their kindness and appreciation. She worked as a home health and hospice nurse before retiring from nursing in 2015. During this season, she was also able to see her children marry spouses, who have become like daughters and a son to her, and to see seven grandchildren born, each an endless source of joy to her.
In 2011, Martha Sue was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent treatment and surgery in attempts to fight its progression. She succeeded in this, graciously and humorously embracing the fullness of life, while also acknowledging and wrestling with her own mortality. She lived five years in remission until the cancer recurred in 2015, this time in her bones. Further treatment managed it properly until she sustained a delayed radiation injury to her spine and was paralyzed from her waist down. In time, her health declined and she entered a season of rest under the care of her family and hospice friends. Her community has lovingly cared for and supported her during this time, and her family is forever grateful.
When asked how she would like to be remembered, Martha Sue remarked, “In Christ alone, I put my trust.” Indeed she did. And in this time of grief and mourning, we claim this trust with her. We are ever thankful for the life she lived with us and for us.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Deerfoot Lodge Blue Ridge. Deerfoot is the
Christian Wilderness Camp for boys that Tom and Tim attended and played a vital role in their spiritual formation. To give online, go to http://blueridge.deerfoot.org/get-involved/contribute/ and select “DL Blue
Ridge Vision Campaign” in the drop down menu. Further down the page, designate gifts “in
memory of Martha Sue Bowyer” in the comments.
Paper checks may be made out to Deerfoot Lodge and mailed to Deerfoot Lodge
41 Overlook Dr.
Averill Park, NY 12018
with “Blue Ridge” and “in memory of Martha Sue Bowyer” in the memo.
Visitation with the family: Friday, August 2, 4pm-6pm:
Memorial Service: Saturday, August 3, 10:30
A private interment is planned at a later date.