Martin, Brenda Faye

Brenda Faye Martin, 61, of Mt. Lake Road, of Newport, departed this life Thursday morning, July 30, 2015, at Lewis-Gale Montgomery Hospital in Blacksburg. Born December 25, 1953, in Giles County, she was a daughter of the late Paul Gilmer Cumbee and Minnie Lucille Conley Martin.

She was known for her big heart and called “Maw Maw Beamer” by her loved ones. She was a faithful sponsor of children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Preceding her in death were her sisters, Sandra Smith and Carolyn “Perk” Woodson.

She leaves to cherish her memory her husband, Gary Gene Martin; her daughters and sons-in-law, Pamela Sue Cumbee and Marty Gibson of Newport and Sharon Jean and Tony Collins of Pembroke; her brother, Robert G. Cumbee of Pembroke; her sisters, Hazel Cumbee of Pembroke, Helen Griggs of Pearisburg, and Doris May of Pearisburg; her grandchildren, Jessica Porterfield (Afton), Anthony Collins (Shonna), Nash Gibson Ryan Collins; her great-grandchildren, Isaiah Frazier, Keira Frazier, Nathaniel Frazier, Kimberly Porterfield, Shawn Goble, and Emma Collins, her “special” grandchildren Jackson and John Jr. Smith, and her cat Butterscotch.

Funeral services will be conducted Monday, August 3, 2015, in the Kendall Funeral Home, 605 Snidow St., Pembroke, with burial following in Birchlawn Burial Park in Pearisburg. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Sunday evening, August 2, 2015, from 6 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family suggests that contributions be made in Brenda’s memory to St. Jude Childrens’s Research Hospital. Online condolences may be sent by visiting kendallfuneralhome.com.