打开邮箱，赫然见到玛莎离世的消息，不禁心里难过极了，刚刚来美时的往事又一次浮上了心头。

这一对和蔼可亲的老夫妻，非常喜欢与中国来的学者们交朋友。他们的家里常常有中国朋友到访，我们也去过很多次，夫妻俩总是很有兴致地陪着大家聊天。圣诞节去时，他们就专门准备圣诞茶与小点心，并互赠圣诞礼物。老夫妻俩住在一幢两房一厅的房子里，刚刚来美时觉得他们的住处非常舒服，很羡慕，没过上多少年，自己买了房后，觉得他们这样的房已经有些过于简易以及偏小了些，眼界又不一样了，然而对于老夫妻俩崇敬的心情却始终如一。

老夫妻俩非常仁慈，我们刚刚来时，他们总是体谅到我们的手头不宽裕，就常常把自己不用的东西送给我们，比如双人沙发（虽然旧些，质量却很好），还送长裤，T - 恤等等，虽然我们并不一定缺少这些衣服，然而其心可嘉，感人至深！

已经很多年没有去看望他们了，电话虽然还常常联系，毕竟比刚刚来时少联系了许多，每念及此，心里总是很觉后悔，也不知为何自己总也没有抽出些时间去看看他们二老。聊以可慰的是，几年前曾经专程邀请二老在一家中餐馆吃饭，饭后还请二老去我们的新居小坐了一会，当时二老也很高兴，毕竟他们是眼看着我们两手空空地来到阿美丽加的，能有如此新居，也可算是小有成就了。

玛莎，您好好安息吧，天主的圣殿里，将会又多了您这样一位忠实的老者，实是众人之福，天堂之福，衷心希望您在那里生活得快乐安康。

From: Robert Sanderson <[email protected][email protected]>>
Date: March 13, 2010 12:21:51 PM CST
Subject: Martha Sanderson obituary

MarthaLavern Masden Sanderson was born March 26, 1925 in Lebanon Junction,Kentucky. She passed away March 12, 2010 at the Pallative Care unit ofUAB.

Martha was predeceased by her parents Sherley Troutman Masden and Carrie Perkins Masden and her brother S. C. Masden.

Survivorsinclude her beloved husband of 61 years Paul E. Sanderson. Alsosurviving are sons Ray, wife Lucia, David, wife Renata and Dr. Robert Sanderson, wife Kim, all living in Birmingham.Three precious grandchildren survive, Lauren and John David Sandersonand Sophia Sanderson, born March 11, 2010. Martha also has twosurviving sisters, Joyce Kunzie of Orange Park, Florida and FayJeffries of Louisville, Kentucky. Several nieces and nephews alsosurvive.

Martha graduated from Campbellsville College and Western Kentucky University. She taught school two years prior to her marriage to Paul and beginning their ministry service.

Marthaand Paul served as Baptist missionaries to Brazil for twenty-two yearswhere they developed a deep and continuing love for the Brazilianpeople.  During their ministry, Martha was very active in the BrazilianBaptist WMU program.  After Martha and Paul returned to the states dueto Martha’s pervasive health problems, Paul served as Pastor of Central Baptist Churchin Talladega.  Following Paul’s retirement from Central Baptist Church,Martha continued in her supportive and active roll in the ministry forGod’s Kingdom.  She and Paul were very active in teaching English as asecond language at Baptist Church of the Covenant, First Baptist Church of Birmingham, and Shades Mountain Baptist Church.  She also played a strong supportive roll in Paul’s interim ministries at Maytown Baptist Church, Tannehill Valley Baptist Church, and as Chaplain of Mount Royal Towers.  Martha and Paul most recently were active members of Berney Points Baptist Church.  Berney Points was their stateside church while on the mission fieldand their home church after retirement.  She also served as surrogatemother and grandmother to many internationals that lived here inBirmingham.  Her home and her heart was always open to those withoutfamily nearby, specially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Services will be performed at Currie-Jefferson Funeral Home Memorial Gardens, 2701 John Hawkins Parkway (Highway 150), Hoover, AL 35244 on Wednesday, March 17, 2010.  Visitation will begin at 12:00 pm with the memorial service celebrating her life following at 2:00 pm.

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