Martha Donak Aleshire, 96


Martha Gadd Donak Aleshire, age 96, of Luray, Va., died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, in Hawksbill Assisted Living in Luray. She was born Dec. 2, 1914, on Brayton Mountain in Bledsoe County, Tenn., to the late Ray and Olive "May" (Cunningham) Gadd. She was also preceded in death by her husbands, Veda Donak and Omer Aleshire.

Martha was raised on Brayton Mountain and then lived in Maryland until moving to Luray, Va., in the late 1960s. She was a homemaker and had co-owned with her husband Takoma Tree Service near Washington, D.C. She loved being a grandmother and was a member of the Luray Seventh-day Adventist Church.

She is survived by her son, Dennis Donak of Luray, Va.; daughter, Geraldine Hollis of Stanley, Va.; three sisters, Clara Sincavage, Margaret Shadwick and Bess Moore; three brothers, John, Clifford and Donald Gadd, all of Brayton Mountain; stepdaughter, Bonnie Martin of Silver Spring, Md.; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Martha in Virginia will be Friday at 11 a.m. at the Luray Seventh-day Adventist Church with Pastor Jeff Taylor officiating. Visitation in Luray will be Thursday at the church from 6 to 8 p.m.

Funeral services in Dayton will be Sunday at 11 a.m. in the chapel at Vanderwall Funeral Home with Pastor Corbin Pitman officiating. Burial will be in the Brayton Cemetery on Brayton Mountain. Visitation in Dayton will be Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Please share your memories of Martha on her online guest register at www.vanderwallfh.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Stanley SDA School, 118 Church Ave., Stanley, VA 22851, or the Brayton SDA Church, 949 Brayton Road, Graysville, TN 37338, or the charity of your choice.

The family is being served by the Vanderwall Funeral Home in Dayton, Tenn., (423) 775-2662.