Martha Green

Martha Johnson Green was born January 20, 1942, in Okmulgee, OK, to Robert E. Johnson and Pauline Cochran Johnson of Stamford, TX. Martha passed away in Tahlequah on June 23. 2024 at the age of 82 years old.

Martha's childhood was spent in Stamford, TX, where her father owned a cotton mill. She loved riding horses, reading books, and playing. She would participate in the Texas Cowboy Reunion with her father and friends every summer. Also, she would return to Oklahoma to stay with her grandparents, Nanno and Daddo, to have adventures with her cousins Linda Ward Ellisor, Butch and Mike Cochran.

After Robert's unexpected passing, Pauline and Martha moved to Tahlequah, where Martha started junior high at Tahlequah Public Schools. She loved attending school events and belonging to the First Baptist Church Youth Group. When Martha was in high school, Pauline married Olen Rainwater. She graduated from Tahlequah High School in 1960 and has been a proud resident of Tahlequah for most of her life.

She graduated from NSU with a BS in Education and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach 2nd grade. A good-looking young man from Eldon Hill, Lewis "Luke" Green, followed her west, and they would soon get married, honeymooning at the Grand Canyon. They returned home to start a family and an excavation business in Tahlequah.

Martha worked for several years for Northeastern State University in the College of Liberal Arts in the English Department. She decided to stay home permanently to be with her children and had a wonderful time doing it. There were multiple trips to the Murrell Home Park, birthday and Halloween parties, and swimming. As the kids got older, it was trips to the ballfield, skating rinks, and slumber parties. Luke and Martha would take the kids to Six Flags over Texas and host pool parties. Martha loved to have kids in her home and took care of everybody. And during all of this, she sold Avon, becoming a top seller in her region.

A significant accomplishment in Martha's life was belonging to a group instrumental in forming the Cherokee County National Little League baseball program. Martha was the program secretary for almost two decades. She worked diligently to ensure Little League was successful and rules were enforced correctly. During this time, she made lifelong friends and enjoyed watching the kids grow up and become successful in their own lives. Martha loved to watch people grow and prosper, as evidenced by her parenting, her work in the Little League, and her pure delight at seeing adults who were once kids at the ballfield or swimming in her pool and learning about their successes in life. She was the landlord of Twin Oaks Apartments for many years and loved every minute of it. Martha loved meeting and helping college kids and rejoiced in their successes. Before she retired, she worked at Lowe's, where she relished talking about sports with the guys, often knowing more than they did. And she was famous for having the most beautiful plants, always caring for them.

Preceding her death are her mother, father, and her husband. She is survived by two children, Carolyn Cox and her husband Shawn, and Jake Green. Also, her "bonus son," Justin Hackworth. Her grandchildren are Chace Olzawski, her wife Brooklyn Olzawski, and Luke and Taya Green. A host of additional family members and friends loved her.

We will miss her wit, unconditional love for her family, and unrelenting devotion to OU Football.