Martha Louise (Wall) Riley Dyal

Martha Louise (Wall) Riley Dyal, 86, of Pendleton, passed away peacefully February 7, 2024. She was the loving daughter of Arthur Alton and Laura Inez (Galyan) Wall, born December 31, 1937, at home in Bloomington, Indiana. Martha and her family moved to Pendleton in 1955 for her father’s work at the reformatory.  Growing up she and her brothers began a love of creating music.  They started a band and Martha began playing the upright base.  Her brothers Bud and Jim joined in with the mandolin and violin and then the guitar and banjo.  Their youngest brother, Melvin, was their biggest fan.  They played together until they couldn’t anymore and the callouses became soft.  Martha attended Pendleton High School until she was asked to work for the Pendleton Telephone Company. She was an operator for many years until they discontinued operators and became direct dial.  Through all the years of her life she always had multiple side jobs, she made sure that she could always provide for herself and her family.  Martha met and married her first husband, Richard “Dick” Riley, and from this union, their only child, Terrie (Riley) McCorkle, was born in 1959.  After Martha and Dick went their separate ways, she continued to work for Textron formerly Micromatic in Pendleton. Here she expertly cut honing stones with diamonds.  After suffering a heart attack from missing her family and having to be transferred to Angola, she retired from the factory in 1993 with 30 years of dedication.  Martha was raised to work hard, and she showed that when she started a second career in the housekeeping department at Rawlins House. She then showed her ever faithful work ethic by serving the residents diligently making sure that their rooms were clean, and linens were crisp to help the aging transition comfortably.  When it came time for Martha to reap the rewards of all these years of service, she retired after 23 more years in the workforce.

She was always impeccably put together and classy.  She was up before dawn and when she laid down, her heart was always worried about her family.  She never had to be asked to help. She was already cooking, cleaning and supporting anyone that was in need.  She sacrificed silently.  She quietly provided meals, many Christmas gifts, household supplies, unpaid lunch balances at the Pendleton elementaries that her granddaughters attended and once a car she had.  We still don’t know who has that car, because she quietly helped someone that turned to her.  The beauty that was shown in her helping so many strangers will live on with her family.  Her relationship with God was private. She cherished her bible and read from it, that we know.  Her strength was inspiring.  She pulled from the depths of herself and unfailingly supported her family.

Martha held her cards close, so close that it wasn’t until her grandchildren came along that her nickname “Maverick” came out.  Turns out she was a bit of a card shark.  Following her love of music, Martha enjoyed traveling to bluegrass festivals and participating in many a “jam session”.  For a bit, she was quite the Ballroom Dancer, taking lessons and spending weekend nights on the dance floor.  She also loved roller-skating with her daughter.  She was a member of the Anderson Elks Lodge #209 for many years. She had so many loves, pretty flowers, birds, bunnies and frisky squirrels to watch in the yard, bluegrass and gospel music, biscuits and gravy and coffee all day!  There was no one that felt her love more than her granddaughters.  Until the arrival of her great-grandsons.

She is survived by her daughter, Terrie (Larry “Bill”) McCorkle; granddaughters, Laura McCorkle and Ashley (Mark) Edwards; great-grandsons, Case McCorkle, Ian and Evan Boerman, and Seth Edwards; brother, Alton “Bud” Wall (Lee Cooley); nephews, Jeff (Sandy) Wall and Corey Campbell; great-nephews, David (Ellie) Wall and Michael Wall; great-niece, Danielle Wall; and numerous great-greats; first husband, Richard (Dick) Riley; bonus-daughter, Tina Garner; sister-in-law, Betty Tatum.  And many special family and friends.

Martha is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Jim and Melvin Wall; sister-in-law, Peggy Wall; nephews, David and Jimmy Wall; niece, Sue Wall; great-nephew, Christopher Wall and great-niece Alysia Wall.

A visitation with the family will be from 10 a.m. until service time at 12 p.m., Saturday, February 10, 2024, at Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service and Cremation, Lahm Chapel, 211 E. State St., Pendleton, Indiana. Burial will follow at Grovelawn Cemetery, Pendleton, Indiana.

Memorial contributions may be made to a children’s charity of the donor’s choice or the South Madison Fire Territory.