Martha Frances Johnson Morgan Loisey

Martha Frances Johnson Morgan Loisey left her earthly home on August 28, 2025 while living with her sister Linda and husband Jerry Cooper in Texas City, TX. Martha was born February 06, 1926, outside of Greenville, Texas, in the Jacobia community.

Her parents were Warren Perry Johnson and Catherine Odessa Oliver Johnson. Her grandparents were James William Johnson and Margaret Alta Simmons Johnson who lived 2 miles from Martha and her parents in the village of Jacobia. Martha would reflect upon living with her grandparents and Aunt Blanche during the cold winter months as Jacobia School was only 2 blocks from the Johnson home. Martha's family visited with her maternal grandparents in Greenville on the weekends; They were John Samuel Oliver and Allison "Allie" Stevenson Oliver.

At about six years old she decided she wanted to be a teacher; this came about the day she visited with her Aunt Nettie Clay Johnson Curtis, a teacher in another school district. From then on Martha was the "teacher" and her friends were the "students". Sister Linda remembers the first year that Martha had a teaching assignment as Linda HAD to help Martha grade her students' papers. Martha was always a good student from grade 1 through college. Martha attended grade 1 through 10 in the 6 rooms red brick school in Jacobia and then transferred to Greenville along with the other students her age. She was very pleased when she learned that her father, his brother, and the 3 sisters attended the large brick school.

By the time Martha was attending Greenville, World War II had erupted, and she observed friends were not returning to high school so as to enlist. When she started what was called East Texas State College, now Texas A&M at Commerce, again she observed that few men in her classes were remaining as they were marching into the enlistment offices to fight for the U. S. But then there were many young men who had been transferred by the government into ETSC to attend what were called "Officers' Training Schools". These men were from all parts of the United States and remained at ET so many months. If they graduated, they were shipped out to Europe where they would be military leaders. Martha enjoyed visiting with these young men. Martha would often relate similar stories to her sister, and she would wonder if any returned to the U.S. And then there were many buried in France!

At the end of the war, then appeared more mature men, as they had fought in Europe and sacrificed as much as 4 years of their lives, but now they were ready to get back to being a student at ETSC. Probably in the back of their minds they remembered someone telling them that they would be prosperous if they went to college. Many of these men had families at home, and they hoped to move through the classes quickly, as they worked at a steady job, too. They wanted that degree! It was in one of these classes with many mature men that Martha met a young man from Greenville, too. She and Virgil D. Morgan married at Thanksgiving in the fall of '46.

The new couple worked around North and West Texas for about three years before returning to Greenville. Martha had graduated in August of '46 with a BS in English and Business. She immediately began her master's program: this time with education in her plans. Martha loved teaching south of Greenville at Boles Home, a Church of Christ Orphanage. She was very excited with the competition as a girls' basketball coach and one year as an assistant principal at the school.

Martha and Virgil moved to Houston in 1963, and both continued their master's program at Sam Houston State University. By now Martha had decided to leave the classroom and become an elementary counselor. By 1970 she was counseling and continued to about 1990 when she retired.

In the meantime, she married a New York State real estate man. The family had fun learning to pronounce his French name Clifton Loisey. (Pronounced as the woman's name Lois + e) The couple enjoyed traveling in the states, especially while visiting Cliffs daughter Judy Loisey Parada and her husband Charlie, an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Martha joined the Springwood United Methodist Church In Houston on 1960 Rd. Cliff was a member of the local Catholic Church before marrying Martha. This could have been a problem, but Martha suggested that they alternate Sundays, first the Catholic Church and then the Methodist Church.

Martha had been a member of a Methodist Church all of her life: first the Jacobia Church as a child, then in the fifties she transferred to Wesley Methodist Church in Greenville, many other small churches and in Houston Springwood United Methodist Church.

Martha and Linda enjoyed touring Europe twice and talked often about returning a third time. They also spent 2 weeks in Hawaii on a ship cruising the islands. The shortest trip was to New York City at Thanksgiving, the year before 911. All of the tour members ate dinner in one of the World Towers on the top floor. A very brisk northern had arrived during the day and often the group could feel the building swaying. Then 10 months later, as we watched the Towers fall, it brought back our memories of the unsteady building at Thanksgiving.

There were two more children born to Perry's and Odessa's family. The second child was three years younger than Martha; he was James "Jim" Samuel Johnson, and fifteen years younger than Martha was Linda LOU Johnson. Martha loved visiting on Lake Fork with Jim and wife Helen Robertson Johnson originally of Tampa, FL.

When Martha was single the second time, she would spend most weekends in Texas City with Linda, Jerry, and Kevin, Martha's nephew. Occasionally, nephew James "Jay" Perry Johnson and his sister Linda SUE would visit with the family on a Sunday. These were the years that nephew Kevin Fred Cooper was available to visit with the family. One Christmas these 3 teenagers climbed into the Cooper station wagon along with Martha, Jerry, and Linda. The gang was headed to Dallas for Christmas with Jim and his family, including Samuel Edward Johnson, another family teenager. Now Sam is married to Kristi Herring Johnson; Jay is married to high school friend Allison Halbert Johnson; Linda SUE passed away last year while married to Hub Adams. Kevin lost his wife Astra in 2018, to cancer and he has just retired.

Martha's social interest were Delta Kappa Gamma with a 50-year membership, Texas City Ancestry Searchers, George Washington Chapter, National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, and Sidney Sherman Chapter #1 of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

Funeral services will be held 3:00 p.m., Friday, September 12, 2025 with a visitation from 2:30 - 3:00 p.m., at Emken-Linton Funeral Home in Texas City, located on the west bound side of 1764 between TX-146 & TX-3. Burial will be held at a later date at Forest Park Cemetery in Greenville, Texas. East of Greenville & I-30 on TX-69E, Cemetery is north of highway on curve as highway narrows to two lanes. Use the SW gate as the roads are one-way in the cemetery.