FAYETTEVILLE — Martha Hileman Westberg,

age 97, of Fayetteville, Ark., passed away on March 24, 2024. Born in Pea Ridge, Ark. to parents Luther and Gertrude Martin. Martha was proceeded in death by her first husband and childhood sweetheart, Leslie Hunter Hileman, after forty-four years of marriage.

Martha taught English at Springdale High School in the early 1960s before becoming the school counselor at Woodland Junior High in Fayetteville then counselor at Fayetteville High School where she retired in 1989. During her career she was the counselor to the first Upward Bound program at the University of Arkansas, served as a consultant to the American Cooperative School in Santa Crus, Bolivia in 1974 and officiated as state president of the School Counselors Association in Arkansas. After the death of her husband Leslie, she became a housemother at the Phi Mu Sorority on the University of Arkansas campus.

In 1993 she met and married Paul Westberg in Fayetteville. Together they served for sixteen years as pastors of the Prime Timers at the Christian Life Cathedral and went on thirteen missionary trips to Europe and South and Central America. This included eight visits to Romania as well as visiting England, the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras and Argentina.

They moved to Butterfield Trail Village in 2011 where they became fixtures in the community. Tall Paul, as he became known, helped plant and cultivate the garden plots at Butterfield and Martha began writing and directing plays performed by the residents which portrayed Butterfield life and were events attended by the whole Village.

Paul Westberg passed away at Butterfield Trail Village in October of 2021.

Martha is survived by three children and three step-children, Becky and Richard Lancaster of Little Rock, Martin and Betty Hileman of Prairie Grove, Victoria and Tom McKinney of West Fork, Dan and Lisa Westberg of Carey, N.C., Mark and Amy Westberg of Arvader, Colo., Scott and Pam Westberg of Arkadelphia, Ark. Martha was also very proud to have five grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, one “heart adopted” granddaughter from Romania as well as four great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life for Martha will be held in the Performance Hall at Butterfield Trail Village on Friday, April 5th from 2 to 4 p.m.

A memorial service will be held at the small chapel at the Christian Life Cathedral in Fayetteville on May 29, 2024 at 11 a.m.