Nellie Carol Martin

Nellie Carol Martin, 83, a resident of Elmore passed away at home Thursday, November 23, 2023, surrounded by family. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 62 years, Archie Martin, her parents Cecil and Flossie (Newman) Chavers, sisters LeMerle Shedd, Nelda Carter, and Shirley Gandy, and brothers William (Buddy) Chavers, and Harold (Sonny) Chavers. She is survived by one son and daughter in law Tony and Lacey Martin of Elmore, sisters Agnes Mullins of Spanish Fort and June (Ken) Marbutt of Eatonton, GA, and a host of nieces, nephews, and close friends. The family will receive friends from 1-2pm Sunday, November 26, 2023, with Services at 2pm, Pastor Mike Ingram officiating. Burial to follow at Mt. Hebron West cemetery in Elmore. Pallbearers will be James Harold Shedd, Jeff Carter, Kenny Roy, Steve Norris, Ted Dobkowski, and Hunter Davis. Nellie Carol was born September 9, 1940, in rural northern Autauga County as the third daughter of Cecil and Flossie Chavers. Like many families of the time, they survived by farming. She and her sisters worked in the cotton fields as well as hired out to others in the community to provide for the family. When not working in the field she helped with the chores at home including cooking. She came to be known as a wonderful cook and took pride in preserving the recipes she had learned from her mother and grandmother. Her favorite time of the week was Sunday when they would attend Kingston Church, often with their grandfather WT Chavers. She fondly remembered him frequently, walking out to their house to have “tea” under a shade tree in the yard with her and her sister Nelda with the little tea set they had jointly received for Christmas one year. She would attend Marbury School, being in the same grade as her sister Nelda, and they were inseparable. The family didn’t have much money, but they had each other, and the importance of love and family were established early on. In late 1957 a group of boys from rival Holtville high school would skip school to come talk to girls at Marbury. A young Archie Martin was one of those and soon he and Nellie Carol were dating. He had recently lost both his parents and in April 1958 they decided to get married. The pastor charged $5 to marry them, then gave Carol the money back as her wedding gift. They didn’t have much, but they had each other. Carol played softball with the Elmore team in the local league for several years to satisfy her love of sports. Archie started racing stock cars and as with everything, Carol was his partner. They would scour junkyards for parts during the winters and build the cars themselves, then travel all over the southeast participating in racing events. Carol had started working at Petersons Grocery Store in Elmore and the money she made was used to fund the racing hobby. She particularly enjoyed working at the store because she was able to meet and interact with so many people, from all walks of life. She related to those who were poor, as she had been, and made an extra effort to help them. Throughout her life strangers would come up to her and say they had come into the store as a child and she had made such a positive impact on them, treating them like a normal person and showing them so much kindness. In 1969 they bought a truck and started into the trucking business. As with everything else, they worked together. Aside from repairing trucks and trailers, she would ride with Archie on trips all over the country and loved telling stories of their adventures. When not trucking she enjoyed sewing and had her own sewing shop for a while in Elmore. Carol had been told by doctors she couldn’t have children, so it was quite a shock when she went to the doctor for some unusual health issues only to discover she was pregnant. On September 1, 1977 they welcomed a son, Tony, into their family. They had been married almost twenty years when he was born so she liked to refer to Tony as their twenty-year miracle. She would play an active roll in his time at school and at home, not only learning academics, but sports, how to treat others, and the importance of laughter. At one point someone asked her what she was going to do when Tony left home, and she replied she hoped he never did; so he didn’t. Throughout the late 80’s Archie, Carol, Tony, and Archie’s cousin started building a new house for her. She didn’t just show up to see what had been done occasionally, she drove nails, carried lumber, picked colors and design details, sanded, painted, and anything else needed. She was very proud of their new house and was very quick to tell visitors that “we built it from scratch by ourselves.” In 2010 Tony met Lacey and eventually they married. Carol quickly came to love Lacey as her own. She would tell people that she had always prayed to have a daughter, and the Lord had finally sent her one. She took great pride in being able to share her cooking skills and family recipes with Lacey. As she became disabled Lacey was able to be her personal nurse, hairdresser, and cared for her every day. They shared a bond greater than the standard daughter-in-law/mother-in-law. Throughout her life Carol was known as a very kind, generous person. She did not mind giving you her opinion, and she did not like to see the little guy being run over. She was a great cook and anyone at her house near mealtime was welcome at her table, regardless of who they were or why they were there. Many holiday meals included friends who simply didn’t have any family to spend it with. She enjoyed football, baseball, auto racing, and particularly softball. She enjoyed gardening and had some type of vegetable garden every year of her life until she became unable to work in it, at which point Tony continued the tradition, planting things she wanted to raise and eat. At a birthday she joked about being as old as a dinosaur, and the reference stuck. She embraced being known as “the Saur” to many close friends. She was known to laugh and joke all the time. Nellie Carol was a strong Christian and enjoyed talking about the Bible and the significance and meaning of different parts. She was quick to point out and give thanks to God for the many miracles she had received and what a great life God had blessed her with. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her, but we all have great memories to keep her in our hearts.

Nellie Carol Martin

September 9, 1940 - November 23, 2023