Martha Ann "Marty" Baber

Martha Ann Van Loh Baber was born on October 9, 1942 in Burkburnett, Texas to Victor Henry Van Loh and Thelma Elizabeth Hill Van Loh. The third of Victor and Thelma’s five children, Martha, (Marty to anyone who met her,) was a caring daughter and sister. Her younger brother Larry described her as “the best big sister” who once drove from Greenville to Wichita Falls with a three year-old Kris and a two month-old Holly to attend his high school basketball game. She grew up close to her siblings Richard, Barbara, Bobby and Larry.

Visitation will take place on Thursday, December 11, 2025 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. at Commerce Funeral Home. A funeral service will immediately follow beginning at 2:00 p.m. Interment will be in Brigham Cemetery.

Marty attended Burkburnett schools, graduating in 1961. During school she had many friends and was known for her kind spirit and quick wit. While working at a car dealership after graduation, she met James Baber, and they married on October 11, 1963 in St. Cloud, Florida. While living in Florida, she helped Jim with class sponsorships and other school activities. After moving back to Texas for Jim to take a job in Caddo Mills, Marty and Jim welcomed their three daughters, Kristin Baber Williams, Holly Baber Smith, and Melinda Baber Pease. Their family ended up settling in Campbell where Marty was the ultimate homemaker. She was known for her cooking and baking and was an exceptional seamstress, often making her girls’ clothes herself. When grandchildren came along, she continued this labor of love, making Easter dresses, hemming costumes, and sewing the perfectly matched throw pillows for bedrooms. Even into her 80s,she sewed modified clothing for her great-granddaughter’s feeding tube, a work she was proud to do. After her daughters reached school age, Marty went to work as an administrative assistant at Sherwood Medical Industries where she spent the rest of her working years. In retirement, she and Jim were the ultimate “Nana and Papaw,” showing up to every school play, recital, sports event, and competition they could make. She centered her life around her family, and that love has left a lasting mark on those who remember her today. She showed up for those she loved and made sure they knew how proud she was of them. She and Jim were active members in their church community at First Baptist Commerce, giving back to others whenever possible. They loved to travel in their RV with Jim’s brother Buck and his wife Judy. But more than anything Marty will be remembered for the influence she left on others’ lives and the way she showed Christ to others through quiet, humble service. Marty was described by those who loved her most as a feisty woman who spoke her mind with care and wit. She always had a word of Christ-centered wisdom for those who needed it. She will be remembered as a mentor and friend, the kind of person who was always there for those she loved. If you called her needing something, she would figure out how to help. She will be missed deeply because her presence made everyone around her feel welcome, like a hug and a sugar cookie.

She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law Doug and Kristin Williams, Holly and Rick Smith, and Mindy and John Pease, grandchildren Emily and Caine Taylor, Caleb and Megan Williams, Olivia and Seth O’Neal, Saylor and Sutton Smith, and Claire and Luke Pease, great-grandsons Calvin and Colt O’Neal and Wyatt Taylor. She also leaves behind her beloved siblings Barbara Janelle Peterson and Larry Allen Van Loh as well as many nieces and nephews who all remember “Aunt Marty” as a dear, special person in their lives. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jim, her brothers Richard James Van Loh and Robert Patrick Van Loh, and her great-granddaughter Lyla Taylor.