Martha Estella McCorkle Wheatley, Class of 1943
Martha Estella McCorkle Wheatley died of natural causes at her residence in Elder Health and Living in Springfield, Oregon, on January 8, 2022. She had enjoyed a long and rich life, celebrating her 100th birthday last September. She was predeceased by her husband of 74 years, William B. Wheatley, and her daughter, Elizabeth W. Kodama. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara J. Wheatley, and sons, William L. Wheatley, Daniel W. Wheatley, and Jonathan I. Wheatley, as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Martha was born and raised in Elmira, New York, daughter of Ira and Edna McCorkle. She attended Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University. She and her husband moved from Columbus, Ohio, to Syracuse, New York, in 1948, where he worked for Bristol Laboratories and together they raised a family of five children who were educated in the Syracuse and Fayetteville-Manlius public schools. Martha taught elementary school in Lafayette and Syracuse and art classes in Jamesville-Dewitt before she and her husband Bill retired and moved to Largo, Florida. They were members of Park Central Presbyterian Church in Syracuse NY, Pebble Hill Church in DeWitt NY, and Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Clearwater FL.