Martha Ruth Moreland, 95, departed this world for the heavenly realm on August 13, 2024, leaving her family and friends a treasure trove of family and Amarillo history, funny stories, and a legacy of volunteerism.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, August 19, at First Presbyterian Church, with Dr. Murray Gossett officiating. A reception will follow the service.
Martha Ruth, or M.R. as she was known to many, took great pride in being a descendant of two pioneer families. Her grandmother Martha Ann Snider, one of 13 children, lived with her family in a dugout in Old Tascosa until 1891, when the family moved to Amarillo. Her grandmother’s brother, John Snider, was also the first police chief of Amarillo.
In addition to her Old Tascosa roots, M.R. was incredibly proud to be Mary Elizabeth Snider’s great-granddaughter and Martha Snider Whitfield’s granddaughter, two founding members of what is now First Presbyterian Church. Carrying on the family tradition, M.R. grew up in the church, was a faithful attendee, used her artful penmanship to maintain the church’s Book of Remembrance, and was a dedicated member of the NUFFs.
Martha Ruth’s mother, Gladys Whitfield Deitiker, was a member of Girl Scout Troop 1, the first troop in Amarillo, and maintained her ties to the Girl Scouts throughout her life. An only child, M.R. followed in her mother’s footsteps as a Girl Scout and, as an adult, served as a troop leader, troop consultant, trainer of leaders, and board member. Additionally, she served as council cookie chairman for many years.
Over the years, the Girl Scouts have recognized M.R.’s service with the Thank You Badge in 1975, a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and several Volunteer of the Year awards. She received her 50-year membership pin from Director and long-time friend Anita “Skeeter” Holland.
Martha Ruth’s family was dominated by strong-willed, hard-working women, and it is no surprise that M.R. was also a strong-willed, hard-working woman. Starting as a bookkeeper for Battenfield Motor Company, she worked most of her life in that profession, officing with long-time friend and colleague Jack Hudgins, along with Boyd Hinton and Wanda Beauregard. Her career served her well throughout the years when she was raising a family as a single mother and in her volunteer work.
In 1972, Martha Ruth married Doug Moreland after their reacquaintance, working together on the 25th reunion of the AHS Class of 1947. (Of course, Martha Ruth, until very recently, continued to work on reunions for the class of ’47 and keep track of classmates.) Following their marriage, M.R. began supporting Doug’s love of target shooting, working untold volunteer hours as a stat officer for shooting matches and pistol training classes on behalf of the Amarillo Rifle & Pistol Club.
As M.R.’s reputation as a stat officer grew, she was asked to perform those duties across Texas and at the nation’s premier shooting facility, the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. She and Doug organized and ran the Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Extravaganza in Brownwood, Texas, for many years.
When Doug was asked to serve as Interim Executive Director of the Texas State Rifle Association, Martha Ruth worked in the association office for months. Together, she and Doug helped move the headquarters from the Dallas/Fort Worth area to Austin.
Seemingly unable to say “no” to any organization that needed volunteers and M.R. deemed worthy, she served as an officer in the Texas Panhandle Railroad Historical Society. When she and Doug purchased a cabin in New Mexico, she served on the Sierra Bonita Homeowners Association for several years. Most recently, Martha Ruth volunteered at the Girl Scout office and Snack Pack for Kids until her health finally forced her to slow down. When they spent five winters in Weslaco, Texas, escaping the winter in Amarillo and enjoying time with daughter Linda and her husband Milton Smith, she became an involved member of the Ranchero Village community.
Deep in her core, Martha Ruth loved people and could converse with anyone. After she and Doug no longer wintered in south Texas, M.R. returned to Ranchero Village for a month each winter, zooming through the grounds in her golf cart and chatting with everybody. It was very important to her that she be there to celebrate Texas Independence Day in one of her seemingly endless supply of Texas t-shirts.
In support of her youngest daughter, Becky Schneider, Martha Ruth joined the Auxiliary for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, her son-in-law’s union. It seemed only natural since she came from a railroad family, many of whom worked for the Santa Fe Railroad. She served as a proxy delegate to the 2006 Auxiliary International Convention, allowing her to see her daughter rise to the office of Auxiliary National President. She still maintained her membership in the local Auxiliary, the Yellow City Bomb Squad Family Auxiliary 99, at the time of her passing.
For 51 years, Martha Ruth and Doug were a team—supporting one another and their friends. Both Doug and M.R. maintained lifelong friendships, walking alongside their friends through good times and bad. The recent passing of 1947 classmate and best friend Carol Simpson was a testimonial to M.R.’s commitment to maintaining friendships over the years.
Even with her volunteer activities, Martha Ruth made time for her six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. They loved to gather for family meals and holidays and to have a birthday celebration (complete with cake) for Jesus on Christmas Eve, a tradition M.R. carried from her mother to succeeding generations.
Martha Ruth was predeceased by her husband, Douglas Boone Moreland, sons Mark Douglas Moreland and William Tyson Moreland, granddaughter Jennifer Sawey Troublefield, and son-in-law Milton Smith.
She is survived by daughter Linda Battenfield Smith, daughter Becky Battenfield Schneider and son-in-law Larry, daughter Diann Moreland Wilcox and son-in-law Gary, grandsons Eric Wilcox, Adam Wilcox, and wife Reagan, Larry Schneider, Jr. and wife Lisa, granddaughters Angie Sawey Moose and husband John, Maricel Schneider Causer, and husband Jesse, and great-grandsons Ty Moose, Jerison Troublefield, Jordan Moose, Alex Moose, Ethan Wilcox, Liam Wilcox, and Emilio Causer, and great-granddaughter, Dahlia Causer, and great-great-granddaughters Addison Moose and Hannah Moose.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Girl Scouts of the Texas Oklahoma Plains Camperships Program at the regional office at 7620 Hillside Rd, Suite 300, Amarillo, TX 79119; Gracie’s Project, 7617 Canyon Dr., Amarillo, TX 79110, or High Plains Food Bank, 1910 S.E. 8th Ave., Amarillo, TX 79102.
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