Martha T. Cameron

Martha T. Cameron, 89-years-old, died at her home in Dellwood on April 28, not to rest, but to continue fighting in the next stage of her existence. Those of us who loved her and knew her best understand that while her work on the physical plane may be over, she will continue the good fight in the next life.

She was born in Bacon County and relocated with her family to Augusta during World War II. That family preceded her in death: father, Paul Tuten and mother, Hazel Jones Tuten; sister Jean Salley (Brice); and sister Caroyln Whiteside (Jasper). Martha attended Tubman High School and graduated from the Academy of Richmond County in Augusta.

She did things the right way, even when it took longer, even when no one was watching. She never lowered that standard, for herself or for those of us fortunate enough to be raised by her.

A powerful light emanated from her while she lived, and we rest assured knowing that her light will stay on forever. It was the light in her kitchen, where she prepared the food that nourished her family. It was the front porch light that welcomed friends and family. It was the light beside her chair, over the small table littered with her various lists – written and rewritten, and followed with her quiet discipline. That chair and table represented her command post, her place of order in a world that rarely offers it.

She was an old-guard feminist, long before the phrase was common. She believed in the strength and dignity of women, but never in diminishing men to prove it. To her, respect was never something one demanded – it was something earned and then carried with pride without being prideful. She spent decades of her professional life working with Swainsboro attorney Bobby Reeves, a career that provided numerous challenges with a man she admired and respected immensely.

Her relationship with Good Shepherd Episcopal Church nurtured her soul. She took immense pleasure in her duties on the Altar Guild and authored the guidebook still used in the administering of the altar today.

By any honest measure, she was a perfectionist, not for appearances, but because she believed the right way mattered. She and her husband, the late James H. Cameron, raised four free-spirited children. That required a certain firmness that could feel, at times, stern, but it needed to be. That firmness guided, corrected, and grounded, even when it wasn’t appreciated in the moment. She was never an easy woman, and she never tried to be. But she was a constant one. And in a world that changes as quickly as this one, her constancy was its own kind of grace.

Now her chair sits empty, and the lists she never finished will not be completed. The light is off; the room is still. But the light of her memory will shine for as long as she is remembered – the one that demanded, guided, and endured. It will be seen in the habits she instilled, in the standards she set, in the quiet insistence to do things the right way.

Survivors include her children, Ronnie (Susan) Cameron, Renee (Rick) Smith, and Angie “Fish” (Brad) Headley; 15 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Brice Salley of Grovetown; special cousin, Pat Ochiltree of North Augusta, S.C.; daughter-in-law Melonia Flanders Cameron; and several nieces and nephews.

Also preceding her in death were son, Steve Cameron and great-grandson Ayden Stevens.

Per her wishes, a private service will be held later. In lieu of flowers, she would rather people plant a favorite flower in her memory and appreciate the beauty of it when it blooms.