Billie Gartman

Billie Porter Gartman , age 91, was born in Jacksboro, Texas on July 20, 1923, to Lillian and Thomas Rose Porter. The family, which included three older sisters, lived in different locations in Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, following Mr. Porter's employment supervising highway and bridge construction throughout the region. She graduated in 1940 from Bastrop High School, after which she attended business school. She then lived and worked for several years in the Shreveport/Bossier City area until her marriage when she moved to Columbia. In 1947 she married David Miner Gartman, a Columbia native and the manager/ owner of Gartman Motor Company, a business which he took over following his father F.C. Gartman's untimely death. Gartman Motor Company later became Ward Chevrolet-Oldsmobile. They lived for a brief time on Hearns Island, before moving to the home they built in Columbia in 1950, where she resided until her death on June 13, 2015. Billie and David raised their two daughters and son with great love in a home filled with joy and laughter. One of her greatest pleasures in life was seeing the many friends and family who passed through her always open and welcoming front door. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents,and her sisters Mildred Richardson, Miriam Henderson, and Madge Adams. She is survived by her sister-in-law Frances Gartman Holladay of Springhill, her son David Miner Gartman and wife Mary of Atlanta, GA; daughter Donna Gartman Schultz and husband Paul of Gig Harbor, WA, and daughter Susan Kay Gartman of Columbia. She also is survived by three grandsons, David Porter Schultz and wife Emily, Jackson Andrew Gartman, and Lucas David Gartman, as well as her great granddaughter Elinor Clara Schultz. The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to her kind and faithful care-givers over the last few years of her life that enabled her to remain in her cherished home. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday June 24 from the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church of Columbia with interment to follow in the Old Bethel Cemetery at Clarks. The family will receive guests on Tuesday June 23 at the Riser Funeral Home located at 7131 U S Highway 165, Columbia; from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm. Pallbearers will be Steve Sherman, Peter Adams, Jack McCants, Greg Copeland, David Schultz,and Jack Gartman. Online registry/condolences: riserfuneralhomes.com Riser Funeral Home Columbia, LA