Obituary of Martha Kelly Christian Will

Martha Kelly Christian Will, resident of Harrodsburg and Danville, died Thursday, March 19 at the age of 92. Ms. Will was born in Tyler, TX, on May 21, 1916, the second daughter of Curtis A. Christian and Beatrice Kelly. She left Texas for the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, in 1936, where she studied violin and fell in love with her theory professor and pianist, Roy Templeton Will, whom she married in 1940. The two lived and taught music at universities all over the United States. Ms. Will was an accomplished violinist and is particularly remembered for her role in the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory, NC, where she played for 29 years and was a beloved concertmistress and charter member. Ms. Will moved to Harrodsburg in December of 2001 to be near her daughters, and though she had lived in more than 30 different places over the years, she found the farms and rolling hills of Kentucky particularly beautiful. From 2005 she was a resident of McDowell Place in Danville, where her crown of white hair, swept up into a French twist, became a familiar sight. She played violin for residents, sang in the choir, and livened up the kitchen with her suggestions for old favorites like fried oysters. She brought a smile to everyone who knew her. It is an understatement to say that she will be greatly missed by many. She is survived by her daughters Jenna (Lee) Wild of Salvisa and Alise Will of Lexington, formerly Harrodsburg; a nephew, Hank O’Neal; twelve grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren. Her family requests that memorials be sent in her name to Hospice of the Bluegrass, 2312 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, KY 40504.