Martha Lee Boynton

Martha Lee Boynton, 80, of West Columbia, South Carolina, passed away gently and peacefully at home on September 27, 2025.

She is survived by her loving children, Kathryn and Gregg, and two grandsons. She also leaves behind her brother, John; sister-in-law, Myra; and their three sons and families. She was predeceased by her loving and loyal parents, James and Margaret Boynton, of Shawnee, Oklahoma.  

Born on April 16, 1945, in Abilene, Texas, Martha graduated from Shawnee High School and attended both Depauw University and the University of Oklahoma before leaving school to support her family. She returned to college about 20 years later at the University of Mississippi, where she earned a degree in German. She worked as an executive assistant at a bank in Oklahoma and at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss, and as a legal assistant at two law firms in Columbia.  

Martha was a generous and considerate mother and friend with a great sense of humor and a charming cantankerousness she pulled off with hilarity and ease. She enjoyed reading, playing the piano, taking walks around her neighborhood near the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, and serving at Washington Street United Methodist Church in downtown Columbia. She cherished her time and the friends she made with the church’s Kitchen Warriors, Active Faith group, Monday Soup Cellar group, Grace Class, and Sewing Circle.  

Martha was a woman of deep faith and was ready to go home to her Father in Heaven, to be reunited with her parents and family there.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 10:00 am at Washington Street United Methodist Church, 1401 Washington Street Columbia, SC 29201.

In lieu of flowers, please make your donations to the Washington Street UMC general fund.