Dr. Martiele Turner Chastain's Obituary
Martiele Turner Chastain, M.D. (1913-2016)
Martiele Turner Chastain, M.D., passed peacefully away at home on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, at 102 years old. Pediatrician, leader in church preschool ministry and avid fisherman, she is survived by Gary Hollingsworth, her foster son with whom she lived until her death, and numerous Georgia relatives. Gary lovingly cared for her in her later years. Born Clara Martiele Turner on August 11, 1913 in Valdosta, GA, to Egbert Mann Turner and Sannie Elizabeth Blackburn Turner, she graduated with honors from the Georgia State Womans College at Valdosta in 1934. She obtained her medical degree from Georgia Medical College in 1942, where she graduated with her future husband, Philip Chastain, M.D. After completing their residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, she and her husband practiced pediatric medicine together for many years in Coral Gables and the Baptist Hospital of Miami. She became a force of energy leading the 3 & 4 year old Sunday School class and the Vacation Bible School at Christ Journey Church. Dr. Turner was famous for her elaborate execution of amazing themes every summer at Vacation Bible School. With her formidable talent for persuasion, she enlisted the help of the church members and the cooperation of local businesses to donate building materials and props. Her favorite hobby was deep sea fishing on her beloved boats. From the 1950’s through the 1990’s, she shared her love for fishing with her family and guests. Each summer for decades, her nephews, Jack and Bill Sineath and the late Jim Sineath, and her niece, Martiele Sineath Schroder, spent their childhood summers experiencing many wonderful fishing adventures. She enjoyed many trips to Disney World with Gary, beginning the first year it opened and continuing through her 101st birthday. Full of vim, vigor and vitality that never ran down, blessed with a determination to get whatever she went after, she played and worked fully and untiringly. A memorial service will be held at Christ Journey Church on Thursday, April 28, at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christ Journey Church, Department Preschool Ministry, 624 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables, FL 33134; or to First United Methodist Youth Fund, PO Box 1306, Valdosta, GA 31603.
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