Helena Martin

Helena (Barnett)Martin our beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Aunt and Friend, passed away at the home of her daughter, Florence Edith (Martin) Treece, in Cleveland, OK, on Feb. 20, 2007, at the age of 98. Lena was born Jan 30, 1909, near Jenks, OK, to Andrew Jefferson Barnett and Joanie (Shouse) Barnett. Her family had immigrated from Rock Castle County, KY at about the turn of the century, travelling by covered wagon to Indian Territory. She was the second of six children borne to this union. All the others preceded her in death. Her mother died when she was six years old. She was then raised by a kind and loving father who never remarried and who did the best he could.

In 1921, Lena's father decided to take his children and go back to Kentucky, again by covered wagon. A half-brother to Lena, Ivan Barnett, persuaded Andrew to take a side trip to the booming oil field near Shidler, OK, where they decided to remain. There, Lena met the love of her life, Alvin Dean Martin, a young pipe-liner recently from Ohio. They married on Mar 14, 1925, and lived and loved together for 47 years. Alvin, known by all as Abe, worked 42 years for Gulf Oil, during which they transferred many times to and from such oil patches as Denoya (Whiz Bang), Three Sands, Shidler, Lovington, NM, and finally to Cleveland in 1948. There they finished raising their children, and there Alvin died in 1972. Lena was a woman of indominable courage with a deep-seated faith in her God that things would somehow, always, get better. It was that spirit that helped her and Abe to weather the hard times of The Depression, the sacrifices of WWII, a life-time of home care for one handicapped child, the loss of another to childhood illness, loss of all the family's possessions in a fire, and the almost always hard-scrabble life in the early oil fields. Providing a full measure of love and care for her family was her choice and her life.

Lena and Alvin had six children, Jewel Mae, Harold Dean, Florence Edith, Alvin Leon, Jimmy Dan, and David Francis. Jewel lived all her life with Lena at home, and passed away at 63 years of age. Leon died at 13 months from illness. David died at age 64 in Cleveland in 2002, followed by his widow, Joanna in 2005.

Surviving Lena are her daughter Florence Edith Treece, of Cleveland, by whom and in whose home she has been lovingly attended for the last 2 1/2 years. Edith's husband, L. C. Lou Treece died in 2003. Also, son Harold Martin and wife Anna Marie who live in Moore, OK, and son Jimmy Martin and wife Carol (Sweeden), of Roy, WA. Also surviving is one beloved niece, Phyllis Barnett of Stillwater and a nephew, Paul Eubanks, of Corpus Christi, TX. Her grandchildren are: Meredith Ann (Treece) Bradford and husband Felix, of Johnson City, TX; Steven Treece and wife Glenda of Houston, Michael Treece and wife Georgette, of Houston, Rebecca Martin of Ossining, NY, Captain (USN) Bradley Martin and wife Beth, of San Diego, CA, MSgt (USA) Alvin D. Martin and wife Misty, of Lacey, WA, Kristi (Martin) Myers and husband Dennis, of Lacey, WA, Glen Martin and wife Frances of Cleveland, and Robert Martin of Tulsa. Also surviving her are 14 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great grandies, all of whom she adored. One precious great grandson, Brandon Treece, died in infancy.

Lena was a talented and self-taught seamstress and master of a host of different arts and crafts. She was well-known and will be long-remembered as the Cleveland Doll Lady. In the last 35 years, right up to 2 weeks before the onset of her final illness, she devoted thousands of days to acquiring, cleaning, and restoring old and worn dolls, and creating various stuffed toys. Nothing was ever sold; she gave them away by the hundreds to police and fire departments and charitable organizations in many places for further distribution to any and every child who needed one. She gave over 100 of her home-made Teddy Bears to Cleveland Hospital. After her family, this was the driving passion of her senior years. As a motherless child who never had a toy, she had a special heart for such causes.

For many years, Lena and Abe were prominent and loyal members of the Oddfellow and Rebekah Lodge, and she was a faithful member of the Christian Church of Cleveland. She dearly loved all her friends, most of whom have passed on. The family is especially grateful to two such friends: her neighbor Mrs Helen Madden who has steadfastly stood with her and helped her through thick and thin for 21 years, together with Helen's daughter, Pauline Brown. The kindness of her church family is also deeply appreciated. The visits and flowers delighted her greatly.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, any memorials be in the form of contributions to the First Christian Church Memorial Fund, in her memory. Address is 100 S. Division, Cleveland, OK 74020.

Service will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, Feb 23, at Chapman-Black Funeral Home, Cleveland, followed by burial at Woodland Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM.