In Memory of Martha Ann Vaughn

Martha ("Marti") Ann Vaughn, an extraordinary mother, adored grandma, and beloved friend to all who met her, passed away peacefully at the age of 66 on July 25, 2026. She was surrounded by family.

To Marti, there was no greater joy on earth than spending time with her children, Christy (Jared) Redelman, Mandy (Jeff) Kolodkin, and Lauren (Ben) Gatewood, and her seven grandchildren: Graham, Keaton, Ella, Tyler, Beckett, Avery, and Eden. Yet the faith that shaped her life assured her there was an even greater joy awaiting her in the presence of the Lord she faithfully served, and that one day her family would be together again.

Marti was born on November 3, 1959, in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she picked blueberries with her grandmother ("Mamaw"), searched nearby creeks for tadpoles with her cousins, and discovered her passion for pranks with her brother, Steve. Though her time in Tennessee was short, she returned often and yearned to move “home” someday.

After graduating as the salutatorian of her high school class, Marti's brilliant mind, tireless work ethic, and innate gift for caring for others led her to pursue a career in nursing. By age 19, she had been promoted to emergency room charge nurse. She continued her work as a nurse in various settings until eventually deciding to stay home with her three daughters.

Though she was an exceptional nurse, motherhood was her true calling. She wanted every day to be magic for her girls. Her home was filled with homemade donuts, real ducks for Easter, bullfrog races, April Fool’s pranks, visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus at Christmas, games of sharks and minnows in the pool and sardines in the basement, silky blankets, shrink art, jewelry making, exotic animals, last-day-of-school parties, laser tag on Thanksgiving, bedrooms painted like beaches, birthday parties before school, Black Friday shopping at midnight, mattress surfing down the stairs, and endless laughter. She taught her daughters how to dream and then showed them how to bring those dreams to life. She also demonstrated the significance of helping others, often anonymously.

She always knew exactly what to say.

Then Marti became a grandma, adorably known as "Memo," "Momo," and "Lala," depending on who you asked. To everyone else, she was "Aunt Marti." Yet she might as well have been called "best friend." She was loving, spontaneous, hilarious, surprisingly good at the dance move "flossing," and instantly adored by every animal she met. Marti always said yes to fun and mischievously steered her grandkids into safe trouble. She was a different breed of grandma.

Just six weeks after her fifth, sixth, and seventh grandchildren were welcomed into the world, Marti was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive and incurable brain cancer. She faced the next 17 months with grace and a remarkable sense of peace. Unafraid of what awaited her, she was more concerned with bringing comfort to her family than seeking it for herself. In fact, she often remarked that she was “so very blessed” because she was able to spend every remaining day exactly where she wanted to be—with her family. Though the disease stole her memory, made words increasingly difficult to find, and eventually took her independence, she never let it take her spirit. Over her daughters’ objections, she continued to get down on the floor to play with her grandkids until just weeks before her death. And even when other words became difficult to find, she never lost her ability to say, "I love you."

Marti was preceded in death by her father, Robert "Harold" Webb, and her mother, Betty Hayes, with whom she is now joyfully reunited. She leaves behind a family, close friends, and countless near strangers whose lives she made better simply by loving them. She didn’t care about leaving a legacy; she just wanted to help people. In the end, she did both.

A private family ceremony will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Martha Vaughn Memorial Fund through the Musella Foundation to advance glioblastoma research, so that one day a mother diagnosed with this disease can watch her grandchildren grow up and her children raise families of their own.

Donations In Memory of Martha Ann Vaughn

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