Cornelia Lipscomb Martin, “Nell”, passed away peacefully on April 30, 2022 at the age of 89. Nell held many cherished titles throughout her life: sister, wife, mother, grandmother, Gigi, social worker, artist, writer, educator, and motivational speaker.
Nell was born August 2, 1932 in Gulfport, Mississippi. Shortly after graduating from the Hutchison School for Girls in Memphis, Tennessee in 1950, Nell met Bill Martin, her loving husband of almost 70 years, at Vanderbilt University. They were married on October 27, 1952 in Memphis and moved to Bill’s hometown of Sheffield, Alabama where they lived and raised their two daughters over the next thirty-five years. There, Nell and two friends started The Yellow Door, a gift shop still in business today. In 1985, Nell returned to school and graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in social work.
When Bill retired in 1987, they moved to New York City to experience the adventure and fun of big city life. While there, Nell received her Master’s Degree in social work from Yeshiva University and used her degrees to do what she loved most: teaching, serving, and inspiring others.
After Leaving New York, Nell and Bill lived in Highlands, NC and Anna Maria, FL. During their years in Highlands, Nell and Bill’s home was filled with music, art, flowers, and close friends. Nell was an active member of Highlands Falls Country Club, was one of the founders of the Center for Life Enrichment, and supported the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center.
Nell and Bill moved to the Glenridge Retirement Community in Sarasota, Florida in 2007 where Nell became passionate about helping those around her ease into a new phase of life she called “Elderhood”. She taught classes, led seminars, and gave speeches spreading the idea of growing elder, not old. Never one to be idle, Nell filled her years at the Glenridge with the same enthusiasm she enjoyed throughout her life: painting, needlepointing, playing backgammon, and writing. She was especially proud of the book she published in 2013, “If You Can…Live Like Riley”, which used the behavior of her beloved dog, Riley, as a framework for positive living.
Nell is preceded in death by her parents, Cornelia and Edward Lipscomb, her husband, Bill Martin, and their daughter Missy Martin. She is survived by her sisters, Martha Thir (Al) and Linda Wexler (Lew); daughter, Beth Martin Riley (Dan); granddaughter, Katie Riley Hall (Davidson), and two great-grandsons, Henry and George Hall. Nell’s intellectual curiosity, compassion, creativity, and whimsy will be missed dearly by friends and family and the many lives she impacted.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Highlands, NC. For those who wish to make a memorial contribution, please consider the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation (P.O. Box 729, Highlands, NC 28741), Highlands Performing Arts Center (P.O. Box 296, Highlands, NC 28741), or a charity of your choice.
