Martina Washington Carpenter

"She was the smartest person I've ever known, she taught me so much." - Rodney D. Smith, Jr.

Martina was known to many as Mrs. Carpenter, Candice & Vogue's Grandma, and Aunt Martina. She loved her family, reading, tending to her garden, and taking care of animals. She was creative and witty at all times. She taught bowling to pot-bellied pigs and reading to hard-headed kids. She chopped the heads off of snakes in the garden, built chicken coops and sheds, and so much more.

She was born December 15, 1921, on a cold winter's night in Lawrence, Kansas, to Albert Washington and Laveta Lockett. Martina Pearl Washington was due in January, but she preferred to show up early. She and her siblings grew up on a farm and each took turns with chores and taking care of each other. When Martina finished high school, she continued to live at home and help the family. She always had a talent for the visual arts. One day, a woman from social services visited their home and saw Martina drawing. She asked, "Why isn't this girl in college?" They explained that the family couldn't afford it, so the woman found a way to get Martina a scholarship.

Martina studied art history at the University of Kansas and went on to complete her master’s degree. She married Ken Carpenter and changed her name to Martina Washington Carpenter; she kept the name after the divorce. She worked many places, including the IRS, but her heart was always in education. She taught Art Education at Fisk University and by the time she retired from the Val Verde School District, she'd worked her way down to a second-grade class. She taught almost every grade level.

Martina showed her love through education, gift giving, and quality time. She helped raise many of her nieces and nephews, as well as her own adopted daughter. Martina continued working as a teacher well into her eighties and raised her two granddaughters as a single parent.

She leaves her daughter, Pamela Martina; granddaughters, Candice Martine and Vogue Martine; great granddaughters, Angel Love, Autumn Love, and Audrina Love and a host of beloved relatives, students, and friends. Martina Washington Carpenter passed away in her sleep on Saturday, March 2, 2019; she was 97 years old.

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