Martha Mae (Billingsly) Zuber of Newport, Arkansas, passed from this life at home on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the age of 78. Martha was born in Newport, Arkansas, on January 7, 1948, the daughter of Fred and Dora (Calhoun) Billingsley. Martha attended Newport High School when her family moved to Tuckerman, Arkansas, and she graduated from Tuckerman High School with the Class of 1966.
Martha married Eugene Zuber, the son of Henry and Hattie (Brown) Zuber, of the Elgin Community, on December 26, 1970. Together, they shared 55 years. Martha would often jokingly refer to Eugene as “my knight in shining armor.” Sixteen of those 55 years were spent in their country home in the hills near Bradford. It was in those hills that Martha enjoyed walks with the Lord and the countryside and sheer beauty of the Lord’s creation, often to a hill with a huge rock, that Eugene named “Martha’s Rock”.
After retirement, they returned to the Newport area, building another country home where they grew a large garden and kept the chickens they so much enjoyed.
Above all, Martha loved the Lord; she was a dedicated Christian, a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt. She cherished the time spent with her family and friends. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Newport, where she served faithfully for years on the grounds committee, where you would often find her on a hot summer day weeding the flower beds in her big straw hat. Martha visited the homebound, as she had a servant heart, which she displayed throughout her life. She was a dedicated follower and supporter of Dr. Charles Stanley and his In Touch Ministries.
Martha was preceded in death by her parents; an infant sister, Kathyrn Billingsley; two brothers, Ellis Billingsley and Dean Billingsley; and a sister, Jane Qualls.
She is survived by her husband, Eugene, of the home; a daughter, Leah Clark (Kenny) of Newport, Arkansas; two grandchildren, her granddaughter, Alex Yates of Fayetteville, and her grandson, Ethan Yates (Kelcie) of Springfield, Missouri; her great-granddaughter, Brayleigh Grace of Springfield, Missouri; two sisters, Brenda Green (Eddie) and Shirley Baker, both of Tuckerman; special niece and caregiver, Winter Mobley; many nieces, nephews; and a host of friends and classmates.
Graveside services are at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday at Watson Cemetery with Bro. Greg Dills officiating.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers are Matt Hardin, Jarrod Eddington, John Conner, Jr, Billy Keedy, Ethan Yates, and Randy Yates. Honorary pallbearers are members of the Seekers Sunday School Class.
The Zuber family would like to express their appreciation to Dierksen Hospice and particularly to Maddi, Martha’s nurse, and the Caregivers, Mrs. Agness Pierce, Ms. Tina Belcher, and Ms. Denitra Ross.
Arrangements by Jackson’s Newport Funeral Home.
