Martha Royce Gilliland Long, a woman of strong faith and driven by a sense of purpose, surrounded by her family, friends, and supportive staff at her care facility, went to her Lord on Friday, November 12, 2021. Martha was born in Baird, Texas, on September 11, 1934. She now joins her beloved husband, Hudson Long, who preceded her in death on January 24, 2018.
Graveside rites will be conducted by her son-in-law, Pastor Tim Baker, on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at the Llano City Cemetery.
After growing up in Baird, Martha spent her freshman year of college at Howard Payne University, then transferred and obtained a degree in Chemistry from North Texas University at Denton, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Martha’s parents were Stella (Popie) Carter Gilliland, a registered nurse and Pastor Royce Fraser Gilliland. Her father died when she was nine; as a young teenager she started working as an assistant bookkeeper which she continued working at through the completion of school. Later, Martha worked as a summer missionary. After college graduation, she moved to Llano to become a Home Demonstration Agent. Soon after, Martha became a full-time rancher when she united in marriage to Hudson. She loved her family and was thrilled to share with them the joys of ranching, but she did not share her John Deere tractor.
She is survived by her daughter Pat Long Weaver and her husband David Weaver, daughter Pamela Baker and her husband Tim Baker, and her son Paul Roy Long and his wife Kristina Long, her nephew Dan Tarver, and four grandchildren: Rachel Baker, Nathanael Baker, Olivia Long and Madelyn Long. Martha was the kind of mom who did her best to support
Martha was the kind of mom who did her best to support her children, and now the grandchildren. From 4-H, to band, to football practice, to college theater trips, she was always ready to go.
Martha’s faith was demonstrated by her actions, being a long time Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church of Llano, Vacation Bible School teacher, and committee member. She also supported Pam and Tim’s work on the mission field and was able to visit their posts in Africa, the Philippines and France. Her servant’s heart led her to participate in the Bill Glass Women’s Prison Ministry where for years she worked with prisoners in units from the Dallas County Jail to the Woman’s Death Row Unit in Huntsville, Texas.
As part of her passion for helping women, she worked for years with her church’s Mother’s Day Out program. As a part of one fundraiser, she participated in a fun run. From that modest start, Martha accumulated too many medals and trophies to count. The family supported and enjoyed watching her run at the National Senior Games at Stanford University in California. The Capital 10K became an annual event; gold medals for her age bracket became the norm.
Martha’s engagement in her community ranged from the Women’s Culture Club of Llano and Llano Junior Women’s Culture Club. Some of her favorite projects were the Llano County Library and raising funds for scholarships; to the Board of the Llano County Historical Museum where she was very interested in historical preservation, curating projects and special exhibits, as well as being a major contributor to historical publications; and was a driving force behind Llano New Horizons, a relief organization which administers relief funds for families in Llano County, helping with utilities, rent, and of coordination aid with other agencies.
Martha had always loved music and theater. Willie and Waylon to Bob Marley. In Valley Spring, Texas, the eye of a casting agent was caught by her million-dollar smile and her cute character of a husband. This led them to being a featured extras in a host of movies, then commercials, music videos and then speaking roles. Her favorite speaking roles were in Hope Floats and Bernie. Millions have now seen her great smile.
The family wishes to thank the wonderful caregivers at Orchard Park, Odessa, Texas, for their care and support of Martha in her final years.
The family requests that Memorials be directed to either of the following:
Llano New Horizons, P.O. Box 107, Llano, Texas 78643
The Llano County Public Library, 102 East Haynie Street, Llano, Texas 78643
The Llano County Historical Museum, 310 Bessemer Ave, Llano, Texas 78643
Funeral arrangements made under the direction of Waldrope-Hatfield-Hawthorne Funeral Homes, Inc. Llano, Texas. E-mail condolences may be sent to <whhfuneral1@verizon.net>.