Martha Ross Bishop

Martha Nell Maness Ross Bishop

Martha Nell Maness Ross Bishop went to be with the Lord on Dec. 19, 2024. She was 83.

Martha, or Mo to her grandkids, left a legacy of love. She loved big, laughed often and lived for her family. She was born to be a grandmother and embraced the role with her whole being. She covered her grandchildren with lipstick marks for two decades and a blanket of love their entire lives. If she thought her grandchildren were wonderful, she later discovered her great- and great-great-grandchildren hung the moon. She was the family’s heartbeat. Mo was a good Southern cook and spent hours preparing food for her family. Her cornbread dressing could have won awards and made at least one person cry. She was one of the first in the family to get a microwave — a huge 1980s Christmas surprise. She found happiness in a cup of coffee, a bite of something sweet and a nice chat. In her last years, she drove while sitting on two pillows to see over the steering wheel, but in her earlier years, she barreled around on a bicycle, picked cotton and line danced. She was beautiful her entire life, and her family joked she had the same hairstyle for 40 years. Until her later years, Mo carried a purse the size of a small suitcase and as heavy as a bowling ball. Inside were lint-flavored mints, 27 tissues, multiple wallets, a hair covering and, at one time, a gallon of water from the Grizzly River Rampage ride at Opryland. She owned at least 10 flashlights and you could count on her to have one ready. She was a bright light.

Mo was born on Dec. 6, 1941, to Grady and Bonnie Sanson Maness in the Glendale community of Chester County. She was the seventh of eight children. She married young, running off at 15 to Corinth, Miss., to marry Leo Ross. They made their home in the Glendale community and raised three children: Brenda, Deborah and Greg. In her 40s, she earned her GED, a proud moment for her family. She and Leo were members of Clarks Creek Primitive Baptist Church and owned Farmer Supply on Front Street for many years. After Leo’s illness forced the sale of the store, Mo worked at the Chester County Farmers Co-op where she knew everybody in town. After Leo’s death, she worked for Maytag in Jackson until retiring in 2003. She told people she was going to spend time gardening, but her family knew she was going to spend her free time watching “Judge Judy.” She married Charles Bishop in 2005 before his passing later that year.

Mo loved seeing her family grow, welcoming each new generation with open arms and kisses. She met Carlos Schmitt in 2013 and sewed his family into her circle. She cherished his companionship and love. Never a cat lady, Mo had two adored cats. She passed out candy to hundreds of kids every Halloween. She traveled, even to Disney World. But the happiest place on earth for her was with her family.

Her family and friends will honor her memory with funeral services at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, at Shackelford Funeral Home’s Casey Chapel in Henderson, with burial following in Clarks Creek Cemetery. Pastor Keith Brown will officiate. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Grady and Bonnie Maness; husbands Leo Ross and Charles Bishop; brothers Randolph and Kenneth Maness; and sisters Rebecca Wallace, Bonnie Walker and Kathy Busby.

She is survived by three children, Brenda (Eddie) Matthews of Henderson, Deborah (David) Gurley of Mifflin, and Greg (Sheri) Ross of Broken Arrow, Okla.; five grandchildren, Nicole (Ashley) Canaday of Henderson, Cherish Matthews (Brian Dunn) of Springfield, Tenn., Dave Plunkett of Henderson, Taylor (Emily) Ross of Halls, Tenn., and Shiann (Tyler) Cupples of Henderson; eight great-grandchildren, Mary “Katee” Kuykendall of Henderson, Willow, Lily, Bonnie and August Dunn, all of Springfield, and Leo, Hazel and Stella Ross, all of Halls; two step-great-grandchildren, Hayden and AJ Canaday; great-great-grandson Walter Glover; sisters Ruby Sue Malone and Dorothy Jane Miller; many nieces and nephews; and special friend Carlos Schmitt and his daughter Carla (Mike) Schmitt and grandson Keegan Schmitt, all of Henderson.