Martha Ella Dicus

Martha Ella Gooch Dicus passed from this life on June 24, 2011 in her ninety-sixth year. Her life was one well lived in service to the Lord and her family. Born at home to Wylie Terry Gooch and Glendera Latta Gooch on February 22, 1915, Martha was the 7th of eight children. She grew up in a family in which everyone worked in the family business which was W.T. Gooch General Merchandise. After graduation from Michie High School in 1932, Mrs. Dicus worked as a clerk in their store and also became one of the first female rural mail carriers in Tennessee.



Mrs. Dicus and her three sisters were baptized into the Primitive Baptist faith on a Sunday afternoon in the early 1930's and was forever faithful follower and member of the Michie Primitive Baptist Church.



She married Leland Malone Dicus on December 23, 1945 and the couple made their home in Michie. After the death of her husband, she returned to work until the family business closed in 1970. She was later employed at Northeast Regional Library until her retirement.



Mrs. Dicus delighted in making her home open to all. She treasured friends and spent hours arranging flowers and preparing food for gatherings.



In recent years, she lived with her daughter in Corinth and enjoyed her grandchildren and great granchildren. Nellie Bush, Annie Mae Amos, Elaine Jones, Elvira Dilworth, Martha English, and Maureen Elliott have given special comfort to Mrs. Dicus during her illness.



Family members who preceded her in death in addition to her parents and husband are - brothers Elmer Gooch, James Lide Gooch (Mary Frances); sisters, Zilphia Gooch Sandstrum (Ernest), Victoria Gooch Stewart (Charles), Mittie Gooch Atkins (Roy), Eunice Gooch and Velmer Gooch.



Family members surviving Mrs. dicus are daughter, Dianne Dicus Boatman; grandchildren, Kathleen Dianne Boatman of New York, New York and Amy Boatman Davis (Frank) of Corinth; great grandchildren, Frank Archer Davis, John Leland Davis, and Ella Margaret Davis; nieces, Carolyn Gooch of Oak Ridge, TN, Patsy Dicus Sims (Jim) of Irving, TX, Melissa Ricketts of Memphis, TN; nephews, Charles M. Stewart of San Francisco, CA and Sam Ricketts of Nashville, TN; sister-in-law, Marie Dilworth Dicus of Irving, TX.