Martha Alice Burr Fletcher: A trailblazing legacy

Contributed by the Family Martha Alice Burr Fletcher was born on Aug. 8, 1924. She lived a purpose-filled life that was filled with God, hard work and incredible, “unthinkable” accomplishments for a Black woman of her generation. She peacefully went home to be with the Lord on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2024, surrounded by her loving family and holding the hand of her beloved daughter, Bonnie. She was 99. Mrs. Fletcher was the youngest child and only daughter of Calvin and Elizabeth Warren Burr. Her biological mother, Elizabeth, died when Martha Alice was an infant. Margaret (Maggie) Nichols, her first cousin, said, “Bring me the baby.”   Alford and Margaret, first cousins, adopted Alice into their family. Martha Alice never left her Burr family bloodline.  She attended Cincinnati Public Schools and graduated in the Class of 1938 from Garfield Elementary School. She graduated from Hughes High School in 1942 — a major accomplishment for a young Black woman during that time. She arrived at her high school graduation by limousine, driven by the late Jenifer Renfro, former owner of Renfro Funeral Services. He offered the limousine service to celebrate her accomplishment.  On Nov. 19, 1949, Martha Alice Burr married Charles H....