With heavy hearts and deep gratitude for her beautiful life, we announce that Marsha Delia Morthland (née Barbe) passed away peacefully on September 5, 2026, in Houston, Texas at the age of 88.

Marsha was born in Dos Palos, California, and grew up in San Jose. She went to Notre Dame High School and later studied at the convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont, California. She loved sharing her faith and worked as a teacher at several California Catholic schools until January 1961. Upon leaving the convent, she worked as an HMR Union Insurance Adjuster, where she met the love of her life, then-Captain Samuel Morthland.

They married in 1963 and would have celebrated 63 years of marriage next month. As a proud military wife, she supported her husband through eight moves over 19 years, including moves from coast to coast and one that lasted just 10 months. She survived a one-year separation while he served in the Vietnam War and faithfully supported him as he rose to the rank of Colonel. No matter where they moved, Marsha made a warm, faith-filled home for her family. They eventually settled in Houston, where she worked as a successful Realtor in the 1990s with Barbara McCarver Realty, earning an award as a Million Dollar Seller.

Marsha’s true life’s work was her ministry, fueled by an unwavering dedication to her Catholic faith and a lifelong devotion to the Blessed Mother. A profound highlight of her faith journey was a spiritual pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Clare in Assisi, and St. Peter’s in Rome, where she was deeply blessed to see Pope John Paul II. Guided by her deep love for Jesus, she traveled the United States as a vibrant leader and speaker, sharing her message at national conferences and events from Notre Dame to Washington, D.C. Closer to home, she poured her heart into the Houston community, teaching at the Catholic Charismatic Center and leading the Gifts of the Holy Spirit Seminar for over 12 years. Her voice reached even further when she hosted her very own national radio program on Radio Maria, blessing listeners across the country. In 2013, she turned her focus entirely to her home parish at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Clear Lake, where she loved leading the prayer group and teaching classes. She remained a faithful guide to the very end, hosting her final prayer group right in her living room on August 26, 2026, just a week before she passed away.

To know Marsha was to know joy. She was always cheerful, positive, and loved a good conversation. Whenever she wanted to speak, she would playfully tease her family by asking, “Are you done? Or I want to talk now!”

Marsha is survived by her devoted husband, Colonel Samuel Morthland; Amy, their cat; her three children, Samuel Patrick & (Michele) Morthland, Ann Marie & (Andy) Engelbrecht, and Catherine Rose & (Kary) Tankink; her sister, Celia & (Paul) Cravey; and her brother, Thomas Fleming. She leaves behind seven loving grandchildren: Amber, Richard, Theresa, Matthew, Elizabeth, Thomas, and Margaret. She is now happily reunited in Heaven with her parents and her other siblings who passed away before her.

Funeral services are currently being planned, and the family will share the specific dates and times as soon as they are finalized. The services will include a visitation at Crowder Funeral Home in Webster, TX; a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Clear Lake, TX; and interment at the Houston National Cemetery.

To send sympathy tributes to the Rosary, Mass, or interment, please call our family business, Sprout Fine Floral Concepts, www.allaboutsprout.com owned by Sam & Marsha’s daughter. Ann Marie will design each presentation with love and tender care.