Ahead of Her Time

Martha Boyd Watson’s legacy of service and advocacy lives on through generations to come with a gift to the Legacy Fund. 

by Christi Campos

Martha Boyd Watson was a member of United Methodist Women for 90 years. How is this possible? Watson, who celebrated her 96th birthday on Dec. 30, explained that her mother used to take her to Ladies Aid Society meetings, and instead of going to the nursery, she instead chose to stay in the women’s meeting. Watson was active in the work of United Methodist Women and our predecessor organizations ever since. She passed away in January 2022.

Watson’s daughters and grandchildren have followed in her footsteps, all being active in United Methodist Women. She and her three daughters attended Assembly together several times.

Watson has a rich history of service. It was while she was serving on the General Council on Ministries of The United Methodist Church in the 1970s that she met and became friends with Theressa Hoover.

“I remember fun times, like when a large group of us all tried to fit into Theressa’s little red Jeepster on the way to a meeting,” she said. “Theressa was a wonderful person.”

In the 1960s, at a time when schools in Denton, Texas, were going to be racially integrated, Watson organized a progressive interracial fellowship group that remained active for many years.

“It is so important for women to have fellowship with women who are not like themselves,” she said.

Watson was a lover of nature and justice and has always been passionate about social issues, instilling that passion in her children. She was ahead of her time in her concerns on climate change, and she has worked tirelessly for women’s rights, participating in two Women’s Marches, the last one in 2018 in a wheelchair.

“It is so important for women to be able to be themselves,” she said.

“Mother’s work in the interracial fellowship and her other social justice work had a major impact in my life,” said Watson’s daughter, Sue Watson O’Neill. “It has had an influence on all of her children and grandchildren.

Watson understood what it means to leave a legacy.

“I have always believed that if you live in this world, you have a responsibility to it.”

She recently gave a major gift to the Legacy Fund Endowment Campaign and encouraged others to join her.

“At each stage in my life, whether it was fellowship, or book study, or mission work, United Methodist Women added something to my life,” she said. “The future of our work is so important.”

By generously giving a major gift, Watson joined others as a member of the Friends of Legacy. To find out more on how you can become a Friend of Legacy, contact the Development Office:

United Methodist Women Development Office
475 Riverside Drive, 15th floor, New York, NY 10115
212-870-3705; legacy150@unitedmethodistwomen.org
Give online: unitedmethodistwomen.org/legacyfund