Obituary of Noliah Martin

Noliah Martin, 94, was born on October 8, 1921 in Rockingham, North Carolina. She was the youngest of thirteen children and raised in a hard-working farming community. At a young age, Noliah united with Edward Martin and soon thereafter produced a family of four children – three sons and one daughter: Pauline, George, David and Robert. The family practiced a lifestyle of self-sufficiency with summers often spent canning vegetables and other food necessities and stored them to make it through the cold winter months. As the war wound down and as many southerners migrated to the northeast for a better quality of life in the highly industrial areas in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, Noliah joined the movement with her little ones and one of the family’s first residence in the northeast was on North Street in Baltimore, Maryland with other family members seeking a better life as well. After residing in Baltimore for a period of time, Noliah decided to move her young Martins further north and eventually settled first in Albion, New jersey in Winslow Township. She was a staunch believer in a good education and her first move after getting settled in each new community was to place her children in the local schools. She found Winslow Township to be the right place for her family and spent over the next sixty years residing in various communities , including, after Albion to Sicklerville and finally in the Florence Estates section of the township. All of the Martin children received nearly their entire education through high school within Winslow Township. A devoutly religious person, Noliah was a lifetime member of the Apostolic Faith Church and more recently at the Paulsboro congregation. There are memories of her and her children at the Albion congregation, walking the two miles to church for morning service and returning home walking in the evening. Her strong faith and religious devotion enabled her to be a true servant to everyone she encountered. Without a selfish bone in her body and with a heart that was willing and able, Noliah gave all of herself to people, without complaint. She raised some nieces and nephews as her own, carried neighbors shopping bags, drove friends to their doctors appointments, the young career aspirants to job interviews and was known by all to have very keen perception in life matters, tremendous common sense for what’s right and wrong and possessed amazing intellect and always saw what no one else could see. Ever the tenacious and independent one, Noliah held a drivers license and drove on icy roads in winter, well into her very early 90's. Sadly after living the full life that she did, Noliah was met with severe infection in her late age that she was unable to combat. Before lapsing into unconsciousness, her last days were spent as only she knew how to spend her time; talking to the Lord. Recently, she is preceded in death by her beloved, one and only daughter, Pauline Smith, her eldest son, whom everyone loved, George Martin Sr, and James Reed, her very dear nephew, whom she raised as one of her own. Left to mourn her memory, but also to celebrate her life are: her last remaining children, David Martin Sr and Robert Martin Sr, thirteen grandchildren, approximately twenty-eight great-grandchildren, about six great-great grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and other loved ones, residing along the east coast in states, like: New Jersey, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, and many more. A beautiful individual, known to some as Mom, others as Aunt Noliah, many as Grandma, and plenty as simply Ms. Martin; Noliah will be missed beyond words, but she has completed her tasks for this lifetime and done so, exceedingly well. Now it is time for her body to rest and her angelic spirit to soar!