Martha Lea Harrison

Martha Lea Harrison (Bergman), 63, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, received her long-awaited healing and complete restoration when she passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus the morning of February 19, 2017. A direct descendent of the last great Comanche Chief Quanah Parker, Martha was born February 11, 1954, to DeRoy Lewis Bergman and Billye Jeanne White in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She spent her childhood alongside her three (3) older brothers in Elk City, Oklahoma. As a teenager, she left Elk City to live with her grandmother, Lena Mae Bergman (Hitt), and discovered her talent and passion for music while attending Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was a member of various sports clubs for a time before devoting her rich, alto voice to the Cry-Slurs student chorale. While with the Cry-Slurs, she had the honor of performing at venues around the continental U.S. and also abroad in Europe. She carried this love for music and singing through her graduation from Northwest Classen in 1972 into her ministry and worship time at church. She was accepted to the St. John’s School of Nursing diploma program in Tulsa, Oklahoma and quickly embraced her commitment to serving the sick and weary. While in nursing school, she developed a knack for creative, clinical problem-solving and was often called upon by her peers to evaluate challenging situations. She developed an interest in teaching and geriatric medicine under the clinical direction of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. It was during this time, at the insistence of a dear friend, that she agreed to be set up on a blind date. This divine appointment introduced her to Bobby Don Harrison of Tulsa, Oklahoma, whom would become the love of her life and devoted partner of nearly forty-four (44) years. They were married on May 17, 1974, at Northwest Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Martha continued her studies in nursing at St. John and served as her nursing class President during her senior year before graduating in 1976 with her Diploma. Her nursing career spanned over forty (40) years within the Tulsa healthcare community where she ministered to patients, families, and colleagues through her service in a variety of nursing roles at St. John Medical Center, Metropolitan Life, HealthSouth Rehabilitation, and Hillcrest Hospital South. Her love and passion for song and ministry followed her all the years of her life as a member of the Celebration Choir at Arrow Heights Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and of the Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma. She was a devoted mother to Rebecca, Amy, and Daniel, whom she took great joy and pride in raising. She supported their youth activities and academic endeavors as their biggest fan and ever-present, strongest supporter. She proudly embraced what she called her “blessed role” of grandmother to Daphne, Sean, Connor, Eric, Molly, and Juliet when her own daughters became mothers themselves. She took every opportunity to love her grandchildren and build them up to love themselves in their own uniqueness. Upon her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in November 2015, she soon retired from Quality and Infection Control at Hillcrest South to devote her full strength and focus to her family and to her battle against this disease. With the complete and constant support of her friends and family, Martha led the year-long charge against her cancer by undergoing numerous chemotherapy sessions and enduring the harsh effects of her treatments. She remained fearless and assured of her healing every day. She never lost confidence that God had her in His Hand and would deliver her from cancer’s grip. Her faith, her compassion, her grit, and her unending love for people and for life will be dearly missed by all who had the honor of knowing her.

Martha is preceded in death by her grandmother, Lena Mae Bergman (Hitt), her parents, DeRoy Bergman and Billye White, and by her father-in-law and mother-in-law, James T. and Minnie Mae Harrison. She is survived by her husband Bobby Harrison of the home; four brothers: Michael (Kathy) Bergman of Scottsdale, Arizona; Jeffrey (Maureen) Bergman of Edmond, Oklahoma; David Bergman of Norman, Oklahoma; and Sam White of Booneville, Arkansas; three children: Rebecca (Matthew) Gage of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Amy (Noble) Allen of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Daniel Harrison of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and six grandchildren: Daphne Salter, Sean Dutcher, Connor Gage, Eric Dutcher, Molly Mae Gage, and Juliet Dutcher, all of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The family extends their deepest gratitude to Dr. Michael Gebetsberger, Arrow Heights Baptist Church, the Quality Department of Hillcrest Hospital South, St. John Medical Center, Oklahoma Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Seasons Hospice, and to Schaudt’s Funeral Services for their support to Martha during her journey.

A visitation will be held 6:00 PM ~ 8:00 PM, Thursday, February 23, 2017 at Schaudt's Tulsa Funeral Service. A funeral service will be held 2:00 PM, Friday, February 24, 2017 at Arrow Heights Baptist Church in Broken Arrow.