Martha Sibyl Ball

ARLINGTON -- Martha Sibyl Ball, 100, passed peacefully from her family, friends and the town she loved for 79 years on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Since October 2016, she had resided at The Waterford on Cooper in Arlington. Funeral: 11 a.m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church, 313 N. Center St., Arlington. Interment: Parkdale Cemetery, Arlington. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Wade Family Funeral Home, 4140 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington. Memorials: The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church. Martha was born in Oklahoma City, Okla. on March 21, 1916, to Ed and Winifred Bowen and attended schools there, graduating from Classen High School in 1932. Later, living in Putnam City, Okla., she was a member of an award-winning singing quartet, appearing regularly as a soloist and ukulele player on a local radio station. From there, work took the Bowens to Decatur, Ala., where her father was a draftsman and engineer for Southern Iron Works. In 1937, he was transferred to the firm's Arlington factory, and when Martha stepped off a Texas & Pacific train that Christmas Eve, she became an Arlington resident and booster for the rest of her life. Martha was married for 46 years to James A. Ball Jr., a Fort Worth Star-Telegram Lintotype operator for 37 years. Early on, she delighted in working with children, teaching reading and life lessons. While James served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Martha became a Red Cross volunteer, rolling bandages and preparing care packages for wounded servicemen in both European and Pacific Theaters. She enjoyed playing golf, sewing, was an active Cub Scout and PTA leader, loyal follower of Oklahoma Sooner football, avid Texas Rangers fan, Arlington High School and UTA supporter and for 17 years worked in the children's nursery at The United Methodist Church in Arlington, where she and James married on New Year's Day, 1939. Martha was preceded in death by her husband, James A Ball, Jr.; her parents; brother, Charles Bowen; and sister, Lillian Callan. Survivors: She is survived by children, James A. Ball III of Bartonville, John Wyatt Ball of Arlington and Sally Elizabeth Mizell of Aledo; grandchildren, James H. Ball and Aaron N. Ball of Corinth, Stephen Mizell of Benbrook, Brady Mizell of Aledo; and great-grandchildren, James Brett Ball and James Ethan Ball of Corinth. Wade Family Funeral Home (817) 274-9233