Martha Elizabeth Custer, 94, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully of natural causes at Elkhart Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at 4:37 a.m., following an extended illness. True to her nature, she slipped away quietly—no fuss, no fanfare—just the way she lived much of her life.

She was born on September 3, 1931, in Englewood, Tennessee, to the late Gus and Hattie (Golden) McElhaney, a hardworking Southern family whose warmth and grit shaped the steady, determined woman she became. Anyone who knew Martha quickly learned that she brought a bit of Tennessee sunshine into every room, and perhaps just a little bit of Tennessee stubbornness, too.

Surviving Martha is her son, William H. "Bill" Goforth of Knoxville, Tennessee; daughters Hattie E. Contreras of Elkhart and Melissa (Ed) Thomas of Middlebury; brother Arthur (Eileen) McElhaney of Athens, Tennessee; granddaughter Elizabeth White; great-grandchildren Gabriel, Alex, Mekhi, Amanda, and Travis; and great-great-granddaughters Callie and Odelia. Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by her brothers John, Mark, and Joseph McElhaney; sisters Alma Teague and Dorothy Henry; and grandsons Kenny Tyrrell and great grandson Jimmy DeJesus.

In accordance with her wishes, no immediate services have been scheduled, and a simple cremation will take place under the care of Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart. Her family plans to return her to her beloved Tennessee, back to the hills and hollers where "the dogwoods and honeysuckles bloom," a place she carried with her no matter how many miles life put in between.

Martha spent most of her life in the hospitality business, greeting each day—and every guest—with a warm smile and a readiness to help. The highlight of her long career was serving on the managerial staff at the downtown Marriott in Washington, D.C. She always had a story or two from her hotel days, and the way she told them, you'd think she personally kept the nation's capital running on Southern courtesy and sheer willpower.

Outside of work, Martha excelled at the simple art of keeping herself entertained. Whether in a crowd or all on her own, she had an uncanny ability to find joy wherever she landed. Gardening was one of her greatest pleasures. She often said that flowers grew better when you talked to them; and considering her yard, one could only assume those flowers must have been very good listeners.

She also maintained a loyal following of squirrels—an admittedly well-fed congregation led by a rather large and demanding fellow named Henry. Martha spoiled them with loaves of French bread set aside just for them, and Henry eventually took to tapping (or thumping) on the window if she was running behind schedule. Martha pretended to be irritated, but she always got up to feed them anyway. They had her trained well.

Yard sales were another of her favorite pastimes. She had the eye of a treasure hunter and the excitement of a kid at Christmas anytime she found a bargain. And then there were the elephants—hundreds of them. Figurines, paintings, sculptures, big ones, tiny ones—if it had a trunk, Martha loved it. Her collection grew to the point that friends and family joked she had enough elephants to start her own herd.