Obituary of Martha Gittle

Mrs. Martha Gittle, age 89, of Fultonville, NY, passed away at the St. Johnsville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on July 19, 2016. Calling hours in New York will be from 4:00 - 7:00 PM on July 22nd, at the Jackson & Betz Funeral Home, 15 Main Street, in Fultonville. Martha was born on December 29th, 1926 in Carnot, Virginia, now part of Bland County, and was raised along with her two brothers and four sisters on the family farm. She is predeceased by her parents, Riley and Stella Hancock and her two brothers, Jordan and Ribble. She is also predeceased by three of her sisters and three brothers in-law, Virginia Hancock (Mason), Barbara Hancock Combs (Ewell) and Reba Hancock Bonham (Ernest). Martha was also predeceased by her husband of 37 years, Kenneth Gittle, who died in 1996. Before her marriage, Martha taught school in a one-room schoolhouse in Virginia. Following her marriage, Martha moved to Cape May, New Jersey where she lived for 30 years with her husband and daughter Stella Gittle (Stephen Helmin). She moved with her husband to Fultonville in 1989. Martha was an avid gardener. She loved to grow flowers of all kinds and was famous for her zinnias and marigolds in Cape May. She also loved to piece quilts and was a master embroiderer. All of her embroidery work had to look as good on the underside as it did on the top or she would meticulously pick out the stitches and start over. Martha also enjoyed drawing political cartoons and singing with her sisters at church. She could also, on occasion, be caught playing practical jokes on people, which she would deny vehemently while sporting a sly smile. Martha is survived by her daughter Stella and son-in-law Stephen. She is also survived by her sister, Mabel Hancock, sister-in-law Aileen Hancock, and many nieces and nephews. Martha will be laid to rest in the Hancock family cemetery in Little Creek, Virginia. Donations in remembrance of Martha may be made to the Mountain Valley Hospice, 108 Steele Ave., Gloversville, NY