Martha Bybee Seeley (born Cunnyngham)
Personal
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: June 22, 1917
Date of Death: June 29, 2018
Birth Place: Dayton, TN
Death Place: Quincy, IL
Martha Cunnyngham Bybee Seeley –
Martha Cunnyngham Bybee Seeley, 101, of Quincy, died at 12:15 a.m. Friday, June 29, 2018, at Good Samaritan Home.
She was born June 22, 1917, in Dayton, Tenn., a daughter of Lawrence E. and Pearl Morgan Cunnyngham. Martha married Robert E. Bybee on Nov. 4, 1945, and he died March 24, 1998. On Feb. 3, 2001, she married Charles G. Seeley in Quincy, who died Feb. 9, 2004.
Mrs. Seeley graduated cum laude from Lipscomb College in Nashville, Tenn., later attending Abel’s School of Business while working at Cunnyngham-Locke Furniture. During World War II she worked in the office of American Lava in Chattanooga, Tenn. In Quincy she was employed by Moorman Manufacturing Co. In 1947, Martha was the primary force in establishing a congregation of the Church of Christ which now meets at 4321 State Street. She taught Sunday School in the lower grades, early teens and later, ladies classes. With Mr. Bybee, she was co-chairman of the Western Illinois Foster Parents’ Association in the 1970s, was a member of the Customer’s Advisory Council at the post office, and a two-term president of the Good Samaritan Residents’ Council, where she also volunteered in the Alzheimers’ unit. A few of Martha’s “favorite things” were attending University of Tennessee football games when younger and later following them on TV, singing alto in church and loving her only grandchild born when she was 87.
Survivors are her son, Bronson R. Bybee of Quincy and his fiancee, Angela Phillips, and their son, Matthew R. Bybee; Matthew’s half sister, Marissa Phillips of Keokuk, Iowa; sister-in-law, Mary K. Cunnyngham of Cleveland, Tenn.; two stepsons, Guy (Judy) Seeley and Dwight (Barbara) Seeley, both of Quincy; six stepgrandchildren; and seven stepgreat-grandchildren.
Preceding Martha in death were her two husbands; sister, Melrose Burka of Knoxville, Tenn.; brothers, Philip Cunnyngham of Daytona Beach, Fla., and Ross Cunnyngham of Cleveland, Tenn.; a brother-in-law, John Burka; and sisters-in-law, Allene Cunnyngham Elizabeth Beilstein, Elinor Druffel and Mary Lee Hollembeak.
SERVICES: A celebration of life service will be 3 p.m. Sunday, July 8, at Church of Christ, with Mark Stinnett conducting. Burial will be in Sunset Cemetery.
VISITATION: 2 to 3 p.m. July 8 at the church.
MEMORIALS: Matthew’s education fund (make checks payable to Angela Phillips c/o Bronson) Church of Christ or Good Samaritan Home Foundation.
ARRANGEMENTS: Hansen-Spear Funeral Directors.
Published in Quincy Herald-Whig from July 1 to July 3, 2018
