Stegar, Martha

STEGAR, Martha Ann

Martha Ann Stegar of Winchester, Virginia, died April 1, 2024, just minutes away from her 94th birthday. She was born April 2, 1930, in Abingdon, Virginia, the daughter of James Long Stegar and Elizabeth Stephenson Stegar. Her childhood years were spent in Princeton, Kentucky; at age 13, she moved with her family back to Abingdon, where she was a graduate of William King High School. Martha Ann received her B.A. from Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, with majors in English and mathematics. After her marriage in 1950 to Lew Deadmore, she devoted herself to raising her two daughters and engaging in civic activities in Atlanta, where she lived for 70 years before moving to Winchester, Virginia in January 2020. She served most notably as president of the Morningside Elementary School PTA and as a board member of the League of Women Voters of Georgia.

In 1963, Martha Ann went to work for the Georgia Tech Engineering Experiment Station (EES) as a science writer/editor in the Industrial Development Division. She worked for many years in economic and international development at EES (later renamed the Georgia Tech Research Institute), and ended her career in the Research Communications Office at GTRI in 1993. At GTRI, she received an award for outstanding service in research support.

Martha Ann married Yalçin Peker in November 1992, and the pair indulged their passion for travel, particularly to wild and beautiful places. She visited 100 countries on all seven continents. Memorable wildlife excursions included African safaris, the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, the annual polar bear migration in Churchill (Canada), and whale watching off Baja California, as well as rafting through the Grand Canyon. Besides adventure travel, her interests included genealogy, wildlife and the environment, archaeology, music and the arts. She was a long-time docent at Zoo Atlanta and a former volunteer at Fernbank Musuem of Natural History. She dug two summers at Tel Lachish in Israel and at a Native American site in Georgia, and visited archaeological sites worldwide. A former member of the Atlanta Lyric Opera Chorus, Atlanta Symphony Chorus and the Choral Guild of Atlanta, she had a special interest in Sacred Harp (shape note) singing.

Martha Ann was an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, and an active alumna of Agnes Scott College, serving many years as secretary of her class and with the Decatur Alumnae Chapter. A lifelong learner, she was a participant at Mercer Senior University and a history study group at Park Springs Retirement Community, before moving to Winchester. She particularly enjoyed being a Study Buddy with children at Mountain Park Elementary School in Lilburn.

Survivors include, daughter, Evelyn (Lyn) Deadmore (Stan Taylor) of Atlanta; daughter, Lisa Sipp (David) of Winchester, Virginia; sister, Evelyn Hendrix, of Savannah, Georgia; and three grandchildren, Sage Sipp (Megan Baerg)) of Tampa, Florida, Timothy Sipp of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Elizabeth Beasley (Ben Beasley) of Potomac, Maryland. She also is survived by two stepchildren, Emily Peker of Norcross, Georgia, and George Peker of Atlanta; six great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandson and loving nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held in Winchester at a future date followed by a burial of ashes at Knollkreg Memorial Park & Cremation Gardens in Abingdon, alongside her parents. Memorial gifts may be made to the Atlanta Ministry with International Students (AMIS), 3434 Roswell Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30305, or to the Fund for Agnes Scott, Agnes Scott College, 141 E. College Ave., Decatur, GA 30030.

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