Martha Jump Morgan

Martha Jump Morgan, of Aurora, Co., died on September 4, 2017 at the age of 100. She was beloved by many, including classrooms full of students she had taught and influenced during her years as a high school teacher in Columbus, Ohio; hundreds of clients she served during her tenure working as a travel agent in Denver, Co; fellow worshippers of her faith community at Calvary Baptist Church in Denver; countless friends she made throughout her life by means of her curious and passionate engagement with people and ideas; and members of her family. Martha Jump was born in the industrial town of Martins Ferry, Oh., on December 10, 1916, the youngest of three children in her family and something of a tomboy when young. Her father was an estimator for a lumber company, where her mother had worked as a secretary. Members of her extended family published the town’s newspaper and were prominent in local affairs. An avid student, she was valedictorian of her high school class, as well as a clarinet player in the school’s marching band. She attended Denison University, in Granville, Oh., where she was president of her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, and earned the academic honor of being admitted to Phi Beta Kappa. She graduated in 1938. Attending college in a beautiful small town surrounded by rolling green hills was inspirational for her. On more than one return visit to the college, she showed her children campus sites where she had been spiritually moved by glancing out a window at treetops tinged with autumn color. During World War II, she served in the American Red Cross, and was stationed at Fort Story, Virginia. Martha Jump married Jack Morgan, a fellow native of Martins Ferry, in 1942. She began her teaching career in Tiltonsville, Oh., before moving to Columbus, where she taught high school English, French, and Latin in the nearby suburban schools. While she was teaching, she earned a Masters of Education at The Ohio State University. In Columbus, Martha first taught at Upper Arlington High School and thereafter, for more than 20 years, was a popular and well-respected French teacher at Grandview Heights High School. This was a job she loved. Some of her fondest memories were of former students who would come by the school to thank her for her contribution to their later success, including one young woman who had gone on to become a translator at the United Nations in New York City. After her retirement in 1975, she relocated to Denver - drawn by her deep love of the mountains. Based on her experience of having led student tours to France and elsewhere, she landed a job as a travel agent, and subsequently worked in this industry for most of the next 20 years. During this time, she toured Europe, Central America, China, Scandinavia and Russia, among other destinations. Martha often remarked on how gratifying she found the work of helping others to make good connections on their personal journeys. Religion was a mainstay throughout her life. Her devotion was expressed in terms of regular church attendance from an early age, where core Christian principles became a basic part of her. She never did harm willingly, and always sought to extend grace and kindness to others whenever possible. More generally, she was guided by a belief in honesty and a strong work ethic. “Any job worth doing is worth doing well,” she would often say. Martha attended Calvary Baptist Church where she did more than occupy a pew. She volunteered her time and made herself useful in the church office. She also made herself well-liked within her residential community of Heather Gardens, where she lived for nearly three decades, keeping a cheerful welcome sign on her door and a bright greeting for any person she encountered in the hall. Martha was happy there. A night owl by nature, she would frequently stay up late reading, realizing with a start that the hour was long past midnight and hers was the only light among many still on. Martha J. Morgan is survived by three sons: Craig, and his wife Sherrie of Lakeway, Tx.; Bruce of Concord, Ma., and his daughter, Samantha, of Portland, Me.; and Gary of Aurora, who acted as his mother’s devoted and loving caretaker in her final decade; plus a host of devoted nephews and nieces and their children. A Memorial Service will be held in Martha's honor Friday, October 13th at 10:30AM at Calvary Baptist Church (6500 E Girard Ave, Denver, CO 80224).