Mrs. Barbara Elizabeth Dickard Martin

Barbara Elizabeth Dickard Martin passed away on Sunday, May 24, 2026 at Oconee Memorial Hospital, surrounded by her loving family. Barbara was a proud graduate of the Walhalla class of 1958. She lived in the Poplar Springs community of Oconee County, SC since shortly after her birth in 1940, and was the oldest long-standing member of Poplar Springs Baptist Church. She grew up on the Dickard farm where hard work, family, and laughter were always present. While in high school, Barbara went to work at Nu-Deal Furniture in Walhalla after school and on the weekends and eventually became a bookkeeper, where she worked for many years. Years down the road, Barbara went to work for Roddy Whitten at Whitten Carpet and Furniture and Whitten Building Systems, where she worked for many years. She also worked for Terry Sanders for several years at the end of her career. Barbara loved to help others and helped take care of her grandmothers, father and mother, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and her husband before their deaths. Barbara was an avid genealogy lover and researcher and was a former member of the Old Pendleton District Genealogy Society. She spent countless hours researching her family history and also did research for other families. Even as her memory declined and she had to go to assisted living, she always wanted something to do to keep her busy. She absolutely hated playing Bingo though and refused to play Bingo with her friends at Foothills Assisted Living. She often talked about running away from Foothills and walking home since her house was just a few miles away. Thankfully, she never tried it because we told her they would put her picture on the news as a missing person and the police would pick her up and take her to jail when they found her. Barbara was preceded in death by her husband: James Martin, Jr.; her parents: James Milton Dickard and Eliza Mae Hall Dickard; her brother: Robert Dickard; her sisters-in-law: Jane Dickard and Carolyn Dickard; and her grandson: Andrew James Martin. Barbara is survived by her son: Randall “Randy” Martin (Lisa Hood Martin); daughters: Pam Evatt (Chris) and Julie Martin; five grandchildren: Eden Evatt Parker (Leslie), Zach Evatt (Madison), Meghan Martin, Ben Martin, and Vera Martin; great-grandchildren: Taegan Evatt, Cal Evatt, and Crew Evatt; siblings: Larry Dickard (Sandy), Roy Dickard (Bonnie), Rebecca “Becky” Dickard Grant, Glen Dickard, and Ricky Dickard; and many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to thank Foothills Assisted Living in West Union and the palliative/hospice team of Oconee Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, May 29, 2026, at Davenport Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM, prior to the service, at Davenport Funeral Home. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Poplar Springs Baptist Church, PO Box 458, Walhalla, SC 29691; or Prisma Health Hospice of the Foothills, Cottingham House, Attn: Foundation Office, 298 Memorial Dr., Seneca, SC 29672. The family is at Barbara’s home in Seneca.

Mrs. Barbara Elizabeth Dickard Martin

June 3, 1940 - May 24, 2026