On Thursday, Dec. 5, God called home one of his great workers, Martha Jean Ratliff, 76, of Garland, Texas. Born Jan. 11, 1948, to Wallace and Esther Ratliff, Martha was the baby of five children. An inquisitive child with red pigtails, Martha followed the lead of her older brothers and was like a first baby to her older sister.

She grew up in rural Irvington, Ky., but spread her wings upon graduating, earning her nursing degree from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. She then enlisted in the U.S. Army, where she spent four years as a pediatric nurse serving in Denver, Tacoma and Leesville, La.

While in Denver, Martha was introduced to skiing, a passion she carried for years and an activity she organized with her church singles group after settling in the Dallas area in 1977.

Martha spent 30-plus years as a renal nurse at Children's Medical Center in Dallas before retiring in 2014. She considered it a privilege to care for the children and families of the seriously ill. At Children's, as in other aspects of her life, Martha showed a resilience few are blessed with in life's tough moments.

Martha was a tireless worker at her church, the Richardson Church of the Nazarene. One of the great joys of her life were her experiences with the singles group, which included mission trips to Belize, numerous dinner parties and countless other activities.

She also took great pride in organizing, planning and preparing weekly meals for church families, a role she held for many years. Martha considered Chowdown her ministry, spending countless hours shopping for deals so she could provide a great meal that made life easier for families coming to church on Wednesdays.

She also cooked for many other special events, such as mission trips and conference Christmas dinners and was the queen of the kitchen at the Free Methodist Louisiana Conference camp for the last 16 years. Her planning was meticulous.

Martha was a truly generous individual. All of her life she gave freely of her life and resources to bring joy and ease the burdens of others. She enjoyed spending time with friends and family, weekly Bible studies, playing games, traveling and showing people she loved them by feeding them. One thing many people probably didn't know about Martha was that she was always a child at heart. She loved to watch Scooby Doo and PBS Odd Squad.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Faith Moore; and brothers, Wallace and David Ratliff.

Those left to cherish her memory are her brother, Ken Ratliff of Dewey, Okla.; sister-in-law, Eva Ratliff of Knoxville, Tenn.; nephews, Charles, Joel, Stuart, Nathan, Michael and Brian; and nieces, Sara, Dee, Amy and Sheila. She was a second grandmother to her great-nieces, Victoria and Abby; and great-nephew, Reece.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 at Richardson Church of the Nazarene.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Midwest Cremation and Funeral Services of Springfield, MO.