Martha "Marty" Ann Harter Marmaduke

Martha “Marty” Ann Harter Marmaduke, 72, of Amarillo died December 28, 2019.

Family will receive friends from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Friday, January 3, 2020 at the funeral home. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am, Saturday, January 4, 2020 at St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral with Rev. Scott Raef officiating. A reception will follow the Mass at the Cathedral in The Msgr. Smyer Hall.  Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Home, 4100 South Georgia.

Marty was born on April 10, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas, to Joseph Walter and Bennett Curry Harter. She grew up in a loving home and was actively involved in the Lubbock Catholic community. She graduated from Monterey High School in 1965. Marty attended Amarillo College and graduated from Texas Tech with a BA focusing on education for the deaf.  She was employed by the Regional Education Program for the Deaf at Wolflin Elementary School where she was appreciated and respected by colleagues, parents and children alike.

Marty’s life changed forever when on July 29, 1975, she married the love of her life, John Marmaduke, in Amarillo. From that time on, John and their children, their extended families, and their circle of friends became the focus of her life. Together, the Marmadukes became known for their warmth and hospitality, and their home became the gathering place for family, friends, and children’s friends. Their home became a site for parties, receptions, family reunions, fundraisers and business meetings. Marty will be remembered as a bright light -- gracious, kind, and generous; she had an endless capacity for love and compassion. She always made whomever she was talking to feel like the most important person in the room.

Marty’s artistic sensibility, her love of color and her eye for detail were other hallmarks of her personality. Her artistry was reflected throughout her home and in the stylish, elegant way she dressed. Her home was her canvas, and she the artist who created displays of images and objects that often evoked fanciful little worlds for her delighted guests. So many things in her home came from people she loved or places that she and John had visited. Her collections of beautiful objects were touchstones to the memories that Marty cherished most.

Marty was quietly devoted to her Catholic faith and was a long-time member of St. Mary’s Cathedral. A trained and effective lay leader in the Stephen Ministry, Marty brought Christ’s love to hurting people. She was an oblate (student of St. Benedict) at the Benedictine Monastery. She participated in the Catholic Community Scripture Study Group at St. Thomas Parish. She also served on the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Downtown Women’s Center, and was a member of the Junior League of Amarillo and PEO. A voracious reader, Marty was in two book clubs: GALS (Greater Amarillo Literary Society) and the Hip Chicks.

Marty, known affectionately as “Nonnie” to her grandchildren, was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, James Fredric Harter. She is survived by her husband, John H. Marmaduke; her daughter, Margaret “Meg” Hart Marmaduke O’Brien and husband Alex of Amarillo; two sons, Owen Miles Marmaduke of New York City, and Samuel Bennett Marmaduke of Amarillo; her brother John Michael “Mike” Harter and wife Monique Dupuis of Amarillo; her sister Barbara Harter Whitton and husband Jim; her grandchildren, Laurel Bennett O’Brien and William Joseph “Liam” O’Brien. Marty also loved and is survived by numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to St. Mary’s Cathedral School – Special Tuition Assistance Fund, 1200 South Washington, Amarillo, Texas 79102.