Rachel Martin passed away peacefully at her home on October 2, 2016.  She was one week short of turning 91.  She was predeceased by her husband Harley F. Martin.

Rachel is survived by  her sons, George Thomas Martin of Chillicothe (with wife Debbie, with stepsons Chris Grimes of Chillicothe and Aaron Grimes, wife Robyn, of Columbus) and Steve Martin, of Baltimore, Maryland (with wife SaraAnn Moessbauer and stepson Max Reitenauer) and  two sisters, Ruth Eubanks of Louisville, Kentucky, and Shirley Olmstead of Perrysburg, Ohio.

She was born in Bessemer, Alabama on October 9, 1925, the first of three daughters of George and Ada Crotwell.  She grew up in many places, since the family often moved to accommodate George’s job with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons.  As a child, she lived in Bessemer; Chillicothe, and Tallahassee, Florida.  She graduated from high school in Tallahassee and enrolled in college at what was then called the Florida State College for Women (now Florida State University).  She was a music major, specializing in the violin.

Her love for music allowed her to study for a year at the prestigious Julliard School in New York City, a tremendous experience for a young woman from Alabama, expanding her horizons and life experiences. 

She earned her undergraduate degree in music and education from Western Kentucky University.

She moved to Ohio when her father was transferred to be the dairy farm manager at the U.S. penitentiary in Chillicothe (now the Chillicothe Correctional Institution).  With her degree in education, she began her long teaching career, first in the Chillicothe public schools. She spent the bulk of her career teaching English and choral music at Adena High School in Frankfort.  In addition to those classes, she also coached the girls’ softball team and the golf team.  She deeply loved teaching.  She retired from Adena in the late 1970s after her husband Harley’s health declined.

Following his death in 1982, Rachel opened a new chapter in her life.  She decided that she wanted to learn to speak French fluently and enrolled in French language classes at Ohio University-Chillicothe.  That led her to completing a bachelor of arts degree in French at the Athens campus.  She spent two semesters studying at OU’s campus in Tours, France, where she lived with her “French family,” M. and Mme. Michelle Ninaud, creating new life-long friends.  She embraced French life, and she loved the culture, history, food, and people.  She traveled to France frequently, and read books in French to maintain and strengthen her language skills.

She had a wry sense of humor.  She was a stickler for grammar.  She never split an infinitive, nor did she end a sentence with a preposition.  She thought that things ought to be a certain way.  Sometimes that worked out, sometimes not.

Rachel also re-embraced the violin during this phase of her life.  She merged her violin skills and love of teaching by taking on many private students, including both the very youngest and adults.  She continued teaching until the end.

She was a long time member of Trinity United Methodist Church, where she had been choir director for many years.  She founded the youth choir there in addition to the bell choir.

She was also a member of the Chillicothe chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.  She served twice as Worthy Matron.  She was also Deputy Grand Matron and musician of her chapter for many years.

In accordance with her wishes, there will be no funeral or public service.  There will be a Celebration of her Life on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at the Eastern Star Temple, 48 W. Main St. from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.  The family requests that any donations be made to the Chillicothe-Ross Community Foundation in care of the Rachel Martin Memorial Scholarship Fund.

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