Martha Bishop

Martha Ellen Bishop of North Fort Myers, Florida passed away on January 10th, 2019 after a short, but fierce battle with breast cancer. She was 63 years old. Martha (Marti) was born on May 11th, 1955 to Donald Duane Drake and Barbara Jean Drake of Kalamazoo, Michigan. She attended Loy Norrix High School, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Western Michigan University. She also attended Ferris State University, where she studied Law Enforcement. Martha was passionate about horses as a school girl and became a skilled equestrian who rode in Madison Square Gardens. She also raised fine Arabian horses, but loved them too much to sell. In her middle years, Martha's passion was for her children and she became a world-class soccer mom. Her dedication and commitment helped all three of her kids attend college with soccer scholarships. In her older years, Martha focused her passion on cloth and fine needlework. She became an excellent seamstress and quilter, making heirloom-quality quilts and clothing for friends and family. Martha was also interested in Genealogy, doing deep research into the Bishop and Drake family trees. And Martha was a writer, whose first book "The Komodo Conspiracy" ranked very highly in a contest with 5,000 other books. She is survived by her high school sweet heart and husband of 41 years, John C. Bishop. She is also survived by their children: Jessica Bishop-Royse, Nicole Lea Bain and John Jacob Bishop. Also surviving are five grand-children: Nicholas Michael Royse, Maddox Reed Bain, Emerson Rose Bain, Beckett Roth Bain and Jordan Rowe Bain. Martha's surviving brothers are Donald Duane Drake Jr. (Dob) and Scott Adam Drake. She was preceded in death by her parents and her other brother, Michael Allen Drake. In August, a memorial service will be held at Prairie View Park in Portage, Michigan, where Martha's wedding reception took place back in 1977. The family wishes to thank everyone for their kind words and prayers. Also, a special thanks to all the doctors and nurses, who did everything they could to save Martha and to make her final days free from pain and suffering.