Martha Price is celebrating her 100th birthday today.
Born December 26, 1923, Martha Elizabeth Price Leese arrived as the first child of Joseph Duncan and Bertie Mae Harrell Price of Claiborne County. As the oldest, and only sister of four brothers, Martha spent much time corralling and taking care of her siblings. She grew up on a farm in rural Claiborne County during WW1, the Great Depression and WW2.
Martha says life was good, but it was hard; however, they never went hungry. Her Daddy always had a garden and there were plenty of farm animals. She recalls the neighbors bringing corn to their house for her father to grind into meal. His pay for grinding was a portion of the meal. They also raised Louisiana Sugar Cane and made syrup. She always felt special since most people only had Sorghum.
Martha remembers being in charge of four very rowdy brothers. She would have to bathe the boys when they were little. The old tin bathtub was in a grassy area of their yard where it could be warmed by the sun. She would start with the oldest brother, get him clean, and put him on the porch while she bathed the next. By the time the last brother was bathed, the others were back in the yard getting dirty… these are very fond memories that still bring laughter and sparkle to Martha’s eyes.
She graduated from Port Gibson High School and went on to earn her RN degree from Vicksburg Hospital School of Nursing, after which she served in the Nursing Corps.
One day at work, a co-worker asked if she would like to write to a nice young man in the service. She agreed and wrote her first letter. Soon after, she received a response asking who was writing, so she wrote back and told him all about herself. That nice young man was Grady Webster Leese. For the next year, while Grady was in training, they wrote. When his training was complete, he returned to Vicksburg where they finally met face-to-face. He soon was transferred overseas and they continued to write while he served as a B-24 Heavy Bomber Pilot in the Army Air Corps during WW2. He arrived home on June 8, 1945, and they were married June 9, 1945, at Bowmar Baptist Church in Vicksburg, MS. While Grady completed his Civil Engineering degree, they resided in Starkville, MS, then moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. In April 1946 they welcomed Thelma Annamarylis Leese into their family.
Grady, Martha, and Anna returned to Vicksburg where Grady was employed with Waterways Experiment Station and Martha was a nurse. It was there they welcomed David Lane Leese in 1949 and Alan Neal Leese in 1952. Their beautiful family was complete! She is a grandmother of three and a great-grandmother of three.
Martha and Grady became active members of Westminster Presbyterian Church where Grady later served as Deacon and Elder and Martha was involved in all church events. In addition, both Martha and Grady were very active in many historical societies, photography clubs, RV travel groups, genealogical societies and in repairing the clock on top of the Old Courthouse Museum. Where you saw one of them, the other was close by (even at the top of the clock tower!). Although there is no such thing as a perfect marriage, Martha and Grady came as close as two people could.
Grady was a loving and devoted husband for 62 years until his death in June 2007.
Martha remains an active member of the Ashmead Chapter of the DAR and is often in attendance at the many historical events happening in Vicksburg. She has such an appreciation for her family, friends, and neighbors who have helped her throughout the years.
See a typo? Report it here.
