Marga Louise Kerr

Marga Louise (Martin) Kerr passed away Nov. 4, 2022, at her home in McDonald, Tenn. She was born Aug. 8, 1948, in Takoma Park, Md., the first of her parents’ five children.

While growing up in Vero Beach, Fla., Marga discovered three of the great loves of her life: water, music, and her future husband, Elton, whom she met in 7 th grade in a one-room church school. She loved to swim and waterski and was phenomenal on all keyboard instruments: piano, organ, and accordion.

Marga attended Southern Missionary College (now Southern Adventist University) as a nursing student from 1967-1971, serving in Nicaragua as one of its first student missionaries. After graduation, she worked in the emergency room at Walker Memorial Hospital but quickly realized that hospital nursing wouldn’t be for her. On Aug. 15, 1971, she married Elton Kerr in a double wedding with her sister Selma. After moving to California, where her husband began medical school, Marga began a career in public health nursing.

The family treasured many friends and memories as they made homes in Jacksonville, Fla., Kingsport, Tenn., Northern Virginia, Dayton, Ohio, and Richland, Wash. Marga took great joy in preparing great food, accompanying fellow musicians on the piano, playing the accordion as part of her clown ministry, championing children’s health, swimming competitively and winning blue ribbons, and visiting her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Elton; a son, Randall (Deanna) Kerr; daughters Ruthie (Zach) Gray, Robyn (Bijan Khoshnood); and Rachelle (Ethan Huynh); and nine grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents, Caroline and Ronald Martin Jr., and her sister, Selma Neubrander.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, at Chattanooga First SDA Church beginning at 3 p.m.