Martha Nancy Davies James

(Oct. 10, 1924 - July 31, 2010)Martha Nancy Davies James died Saturday, July 31, 2010, at West Park Hospital in Cody.She was 85.

Born in Cody on Oct. 10, 1924, Martha Nan was the sixth of nine children born to Ethel Hayes Davies, a seamstress, and John Elgin Davies, a stone mason.A life-long Cody resident, she graduated from Cody High School in 1942. She married Paul James in 1949, and together they had three daughters.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Martha Nan and Paul owned and operated a popular corner market, Sunset Grocery, which was known for its penny candy and fresh-cut meat. She later worked as a retail clerk, a motel desk clerk and she volunteered at the Buffalo Bill Dam Visitors' Center.

She was an accomplished seamstress, an expert decorator and a creative cook. Her dinners for Masonic Lodge events drew raves.

Her home was a work of art, filled with love and her colorful handiwork. Recently, she enjoyed her Wednesday painting classes.

Martha Nan was most proud of her family and she cherished her friends. She was a life-long member of the Cody United Methodist Church and was active in the Order of Eastern Star, Park County Historical Society and the Powell-Cody Celiac Support Group.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Debra James Clark; her parents; three sisters and two brothers.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Paul; daughters Ann James-Herron (Jim) of Littleton, Colo., and Meg James Loe (Thomas) of Los Angeles; seven grandchildren, Angela Selby, Andrea Beatty and Aaron Clark of Albuquerque, N.M.; Nicholas Clark (Sayward) of Fort Collins, Colo.; Amanda Berger (Paul) of Ruidoso, N.M.; Hannah and Molly Herron of Littleton, Colo.; two great-grandchildren; brother David Davies (Mae) of Lakewood, Colo.; two sisters, Patricia Harres of Los Angeles, and Delores Blanc of Oakland, Neb.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, at the Cody United Methodist Church. The Rev. Mary Barbee will officiate. Interment will take place at Riverside Cemetery in Cody.