Martha Louise "Marty" Foxx

Martha Louise Swain Foxx, beloved mother, sister, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully at her home on March 10, 2026. Born in Perry, Florida on April 8, 1944 to Alvis Edison “Dude” Swain and Thelma Land Swain, she was the middle of seven children. Marty spent her early years in Waycross, Georgia, where she graduated from Ware County High School. She spent her junior year in Warrenton, North Carolina, while her father worked on the Jordan Dam project. It was there she saw mountains for the first time and fell in love with them, returning often to Valle Crucis and Asheville to witness the changing leaves.

At the age of six, Marty contracted polio shortly after beginning first grade. She endured weeks in Waycross Hospital wrapped in hot woolen cloths, followed by seven months at the Aidmore Shriner’s Hospital in Atlanta, where she lay flat on her back receiving daily physical therapy. With the devoted care of a loving nurse and the support of her parents, she eventually regained use of her left arm and hand while her right arm and shoulders remained paralyzed. Undeterred, she pursued therapies and braces at Warm Springs and returned to school, refusing to let her disability define her. Determined to become a teacher, she attended Tift College and graduated from Valdosta State College with the help of the Federal Program for Vocational Rehabilitation. She taught in the Savannah public school system for thirty years, specializing in fifth grade and science. Known for her creative methods, she cut trails through the woods and planted an organic garden beside her classroom, sharing her deep love of nature with generations of students.

Marty married Doyle Foxx in 1968 at First Baptist Church of Savannah. Together they raised two children and remained lifelong friends after their divorce. With Doyle’s encouragement, she learned to drive at age thirty-five and later earned her Master’s degree from Georgia Southern, attending classes two evenings a week while teaching full time. A faithful member of First Baptist Church, she and Doyle were active in the Murphy-Richardson Sunday School Class and the Adult Choir, forming many cherished friendships. In 1997, Marty attended the first meeting of the Coastal Empire Polio Survivors Association and later served as Treasurer, Vice-President, and President. She found deep connection and inspiration among its members, who became another family to her.

Marty is survived by her daughter, Shannon Foxx Willhite and husband Dale Willhite; her son, Scott Foxx and his husband Tim Chapman; her best friend, Doyle Foxx; sisters Myrna Jordan (Johnny Jordan) and Mary Emma Kicklighter (AC Kicklighter); brothers Mike Swain and Richard Swain (Linda Swain); grandchildren Jackson Willhite (Camryn Willhite) and John Foxx Willhite; and great-grandsons Kayce James Willhite and Mason Stanley Willhite. She will be remembered for her quick wit, infectious laugh, directness, lifelong love of learning, and steadfast faith. Her legacy of love and quiet determination endures in her family and all the lives she touched.