A funeral service will be held for Martha Ann Albritton Willson of Monroe, at ten o’clock on the morning of Monday, June 23rd, 2014, at Parkview Baptist Church, 1001 Forsythe Avenue, Monroe. Interment will follow at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be at Mulhearn Funeral Home on Highway 165, in Monroe, on Sunday afternoon from five to seven.
Martha Ann Albritton Willson was born in Jacksonville, Texas to William Clark Albritton and Ila Martin Albritton on October 20, 1932 and entered the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on June 18, 2014.
Martha married Bruce Gordon Willson of Modesto, California, on October 3, 1953 and is survived by her sons, Bruce Gordon Willson, Jr. and his wife, Kathy (KK); Dale Keirn Willson and his wife, Kathleen; William Edmund (Bill) Willson and his wife, Marion. She had seven grandchildren (Trey, Rachel, Abby, Dale Jr., Chase, Edmund and Gordon) and two great-grandchildren (Grant and Adon). All of these will cherish her memory and treasure her example of faith, love, encouragement and unwavering commitment.
Following her graduation in 1949 from Jacksonville High School, she attended and earned her A.A. degree in 1951 from Lon Morris Junior College in Jacksonville, Texas. She then enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, graduating with her B.F.A. in Drama Education in 1954. In 1972 she earned her M.Ed. in Secondary Education and then in 1978 her Ed.D. from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, Louisiana.
Professionally, Martha earned her Professional Counselor certification in 1982, Clinical Membership in the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists in 1983, became a National Board Certified Counselor the same year and in 1988 was licensed as a Professional Counselor and helped establish the Monroe Marriage and Family Counseling Center at U.L.M. She was a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the American Association for Counseling and Development, the Association for Humanistic Education and Development, the Association for Counselor Educators, the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the Association for Teacher Educators. She also was a frequent speaker and facilitator on teaching, communication and counseling techniques as well as co-authoring several books in these fields. Finally, she had her own private marriage and family counseling practice for over twenty years.
She lived in France for two years following her marriage to Bruce and in Brazil for three and a half years as well as in California, Texas, South Carolina and Louisiana. She taught Sunday School for close to 40 years and in her own words, “I am most blessed to have a forgiving Savior!” She served as a Den Mother for her sons Cub Scout troops, a counselor at Camp Tanako for the Parkview Baptist Church Youth Group and as a volunteer in the box office of the Strauss Little Theater in Monroe. She also enjoyed spending time with good friends, traveling with Lee and Lottie Estes, playing dominoes, cards and volleyball, as well as water skiing with the “Up the River Gang”.
The family would like to thank LaKenya Washington, Alyisha Wroten, LaTonia Rogers, Jackie Nelson , & Janie Elliott for their care of Martha over these past months.
Proverbs 6:20-21 says, “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck.” Thank you for teaching and sharing your love of the Lord to us throughout our lives.
Memorials may be made to the youth program of Parkview Baptist Church or the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.
Online Registry/Condolences: www.mulhearnfuneralhome.com
Mulhearn Funeral Home
Sterlington Road
Monroe, LA
Visitation Services
5-7 PM Sunday, June 22, 2014
Mulhearn Funeral Home
Monroe, LA
Funeral Services
10 AM Monday, June 23, 2014
Parkview Baptist Church
Monroe, LA