Mary Martha Fuller

1940 - 2022  (81 years)

• Name	Mary Martha Fuller  [1, 2, 3]
  Birth	24 Jun 1940	Nacogdoches County, Texas   [3]
  Gender	Female
  Death	8 Apr 2022	Houston, Harris County, Texas
  Notes	The following article appeared in the March 13, 1996 SABINE COUNTY RECORDER: Sabine County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting activities March 20 honoring Martha Fuller Turner of Houston, who grew up in Sabine County. Since 1981, she has operated Martha Turner Properties, one of the most successful real estate firms in Houston. A graduate of North Texas State University, she taught elementary school for 15 years before making her career change. When Martha Turner Properties began, it was described that the entire company was three workaholics crammed into a borrowed Galleria office space. In addition to her outstanding career, she also finds time form such diverse interests as her board positions with Texas Commerce Bank, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the Houston Association of Realtors as well as chairing gala fundraisers including Crohn's and Colitis Winter Ball, Houston Ballet Guild 50th Anniversary Luncheon, and the "Trees of Hope" to benefit Star of Hope Mission. There are many other civic, charitable, and professional organizations in which Turner is a vital worker. Turner was named Woman of Distinction by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation and KTRK-TV in 1991 and 1996. She has also received the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's Gold Key award. A lengthier article was published in the August 26, 2009 Sabine County Reporter on the occasion of her upcoming induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. She was one of only seven women ever to have received this prestigious honor. Mary Howell wrote the following, for her column "On the Bright Side" honoring Martha for the October 12, 2009 issue of the Sabine County Reporter: Martha Fuller Turner, a native of Sabine County, has been selected for induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. She will be honored during the annual induction dinner October 15, 2009 in Houston. Martha is President and CEO of Martha Turner Properties, a billion dollar Houston based independent real estate company. Martha attributes her success in life to her upbringing in Hemphill. She has fond memories of her childhood days and of attending Hemphill School where she graduated in 1958. Martha learned the fundamentals of business from her parents and grandparents, Deas and Lucille and Tom and Sallie who owned and operated Fuller's Dry Goods and Feed Store. She began working in the store when she was six years old. It was her duty to refold shirts, pants and overalls after customers browsed through them. She also wrapped packages and gifts. Martha has fond memories of attending Hemphill's First Baptist Church where she participated in all church activities. Among her mentors were her pastor, Bro. Clarence Howell and her teachers who always encouraged her to be the best she could be. I cherish many happy times shared with Martha when she and her friends Charlsia Rice and Sammy Kay Smith visited my sister Clara. The four were fast friends and enjoyed many happy hours at the Howell house. After Martha graduated from high school she attended North Texas State University earning a degree in music and elementary education. She later taught school in Austin. After retiring from teaching in 1979 she earned her real estate license. Under Martha's leadership, Martha Turner Properties has flourished into a billion dollar business. Martha encourages her employees to achieve excellence, believe in yourself, be open to opportunities, accept life changes, learn to forgive and be thankful for God's blessings. Her friend, Clara Murphy said "If you looked up the word 'optimism' in the dictionary you would see Martha's picture!" She is often called upon to give motivational speeches in various places across the United States. She is active in numerous charitable organizations. Martha enjoyed visiting with friends during the reunion of the class of 1958 which was held Saturday at the Bistro in Hemphill. Houston Mayor Bill White has proclaimed October 24 Martha Fuller Turner Day. " I extend my congratulations to Martha for her success in life. I am blessed to call Martha Turner my friend." Death Notice, Houston Chronicle, April 8, 2022 Martha Turner, who built a residential real estate empire in Houston, died Friday at the age of 81, her firm, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty, said. Considered a matriarch of Houston real estate, Turner rose to build a sprawling real estate agency that was closing more than $2 billion in real estate transactions a year before it was acquired in 2014 by New York-based Sotheby's International Realty. Turner and her co-president Tom Anderson stepped away from running the day-to-day business operations in 2015, but they held chairman emeritus roles. Today the firm has 290 real estate agents. "We are heartbroken over Martha's passing," the company said in a statement. "She was a deeply respected leader in the Houston real estate community and an inspiration, friend, and mentor to us all," the company said in a statement. The cause of her death was not immediately available. Born June 24, 1940, Turner grew up in the small East Texas town of Hemphill before graduating from the University of North Texas in 1962, according to a 2016 profile in Intown Houston Magazine. After a 15-year career teaching, she turned to real estate in the late 1970s, when she studied at the University of Houston and received her real estate license, the magazine reported. By 1981, Turner partnered with her friend Nancy Owens to launch Turner-Owens Real Estate. Five years later, the company became Martha Turner Properties. Over the years, Turner built the brokerage into a thriving luxury real estate business. In 2009, Turner was inducted into Texas Business Hall of Fame as one of only seven women to have received the award at the time. She also became the first woman to be honored with the American Advertising Federation-Houston's Trailblazer Award in 2012. Following the acquisition by Sotheby's, Turner pledged to help steer the company's future through continued involvement in business development, sales and marketing. She also continued to be a mentor for other real estate professionals. "To be successful, you have to love what you do, love the people around you, make everyone feel special, and realize that you are the only person in charge of your life," Turner once told colleagues at Sotheby's. Among those mentored by Turner was Bob Hale, CEO of Houston Association of Realtors. It is hard to imagine a world without Martha Turner - a giant in the real estate industry and a model of success for businesswomen everywhere, Hale said in a statement. "Martha helped shape the industry and exemplified strength, poise and professionalism. She was a pioneer." Jennifer Wauhob, the chair of the Houston Association of Realtors, described Turner as "a towering figure who served as a role model to countless real estate professionals." Lisa Baer, a realty agent with Martha Turner for nearly 35 years, said Turner was down-to-earth with a strong sense of faith. Baer said she inspired everyone around her. "She wanted everybody to be their best and to have their best," Baer said. "She was very motivational, inspirational, positive." Turner's first husband, Keith, died in 1986, and she remarried a few years later to Glenn Bauguss, according to earlier media reports. She had a daughter and a grandson as of 2016, along with several stepchildren and grandchildren, according to earlier media reports. Marilyn Thompson, who retired a year ago as president of Martha Turner Sotheby's International after working there 31 years, said Turner provided an example to other women seeking a professional career. Turner never asked her agents to do anything that she would not do herself, Thompson recalled. If it required getting down on the floor to piece together a sales presentation for a home, Turner would get down on the floor. "She was always impeccably dressed and very professional in everything she did," Thompson said. "She opened the doors for women to make a good living." Thompson described Turner as natural salesperson with a genius for marketing. Before real estate, she sold everything from encyclopedias to wigs to women's underwear. Thompson said she would laugh whenever Turner recalled her days as the top women's underwear salesperson at Montgomery Ward. After selling one pair, she'd tell the customer, "You really need 7. Don't you wear a clean pair every day?" "So, she'd sell 7 pairs," Thompson said. Former business partner Tom Anderson said it was easy to work with Turner, who had a warm, welcoming personality. "We never had an argument in our 11 years," Anderson said. "We had some disagreements, but we were able to sit down and work it out without one unkind word." The two formed a partnership in the early 2000s and grew the business by recruiting other professionals who shared their value of building and maintaining relationships with the community, he said. Turner was an active participant and generous donor to charities and encouraged her colleagues to give back, he said. "It was about more than just sales and success," Anderson said. "It was about long-term relationship clients, customers and other real estate companies." Anderson said he visited with Turner about a month ago, before she went into hospice care. Her daughter had done her makeup that day. "I held her hand and said a prayer. She was just beautiful," Anderson said, his voice cracking. "That's how I'll always remember her." A briefer obituary was published in The Sabine County Reporter, April 13, 2022, page 8
  Person ID	I554	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	8 Dec 2022

  
  

  Father	Thomas Deas Fuller, Sr.,   b. 30 Jun 1917, Texas d. 3 Apr 1994, Sabine County, Texas (Age 76 years)
  Mother	Lucille Moss,   b. 23 Jul 1921, Texas d. 27 Jul 1980, Harris County, Texas (Age 59 years)
  Marriage	Bef 1940	Texas
  Family ID	F442	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Keith Belton Turner,   b. 5 Apr 1937, San Augustine County, Texas d. 3 Dec 1988, Harris County, Texas (Age 51 years)
  Children	1. Living
  Family ID	F447	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	9 Dec 2006

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 24 Jun 1940 - Nacogdoches County, Texas Death - 8 Apr 2022 - Houston, Harris County, Texas  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Turner, Martha (Fuller) Since 1981, she has operated Martha Turner Properties, one of the most successful real estate firms in Houston. A graduate of North Texas State University, she taught elementary school for 15 years before making her career change. When Martha Turner Properties began, it was described that the entire company was three workaholics crammed into a borrowed Galleria office space.
  		_Fuller, Mary Martha The daughter of Thomas Deas Fuller and Lucille Moss

  
  

  Documents

  Turner, Martha (Fuller), Induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame Article from the Sabine County Reporter on the occasion of her pending induction in the Texas Business Hall of Fame, October 15, 2009

  
  

• Sources

  [S374] Speights, Virgie "Old Timers of Sabine County, Texas Vignettes of Pioneer Families" (S. Malone, c. 1983). [S461] White & Toole, "Sabine County Historical Sketches and Genealogical Records" c. 1972, p 37 (Reliability: 3). [S266] Ancestry.com - Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 [database online], (Ancestry.com Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Original data: Texas. Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997. Texas: Texas Department of State Health Services. Microfiche.).