Martha Mae WallenMartha Mae Shepherd Wallen, of Warsaw, age 82, went to be with the Lord on June 8, 2022. She passed peacefully in her home with her husband, Claude E. Wallen, by her side.
Martha was born on Dec. 29, 1939, in Floyd County, Ky., to Alex and Audie Ellen Reffitt Shepherd. She attended school in Prestonsburg, Ky., until she married Claude on July 15, 1955. Martha and Claude were blessed with the birth of their first and only son, Larry E. Wallen, on May 26, 1956. After his birth, they moved to Warsaw in 1958 where Martha resided with Claude until her death.
During all of their years together, Martha always stood by Claude’s side. Even when he would spend multiple nights traveling for work, they would speak on the phone every single hour. Claude was her everything and she was his for almost 67 years. Their marriage was respected by everyone that knew them.
Martha was a faithful woman, who dedicated her life to serving the Lord. She was a member, secretary and treasurer of Lighthouse Church for over 40 years. She found great joy in singing and playing guitar every opportunity she could get. Most recently, she was a member of Harvest Community Church.
After her faith, the most important thing to her was her entire family. Some of her fondest memories shared with her grandchildren were spending every Friday night eating her home-cooked meals, playing T-ball in the yard and Saturday morning biscuits and gravy. Over the past few years, she adored spending time with her two great-grandchildren, called her “beautiful babies.” She also loved all flowers, gardening, cooking and baking. She was famous for her extravagant birthday cakes, delicious fudge and buckeye candies.
Martha is survived by her husband, Claude Wallen; her grandchildren: Laura Hinton (Chase), David Wallen, Ross Wallen (Mary), Mark Wallen; her great-grandchildren: Jude and Quinn Hinton, with another Hinton expected to arrive later this summer; her sister, Evelene (Joe) Serovy; and several nieces, nephews, in-laws and cousins. She is preceded in death by her son, Larry Wallen; siblings: Margie Crum, Buddy Shepherd, Henry Shepherd, Bobbie Robinson, Joyce Ann Shepherd, Jeanetta Sue Shepherd and Sandra Kay Shepherd.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 10 at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, 225 Argonne Road, Warsaw. Martha’s life will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11 and officiated by Pastor Glenn Hall. A graveside service will follow at Oakwood Cemetery of Warsaw.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online through https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?frequency_selected=2&sc_icid=mem-lp-donate-bttn-top.
Online condolences may be sent through the funeral home’s website at www.redpathfruthfuneralhome.com.
