Nellie Martin Lockhart

A funeral service for Nellie Spear Martin Lockhart, 88, will be held on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Haughton, 105 E Washington Ave, Haughton, Louisiana. Burial will follow at Haughton Cemetery in Haughton. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Officiating the service will be Pastor Gevan Spinney.

Nellie was born on May 5, 1937, to Allen L. Spear and Elma Martin Spear in Coushatta, Louisiana, and passed away on Friday, February 20, 2026, in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Nellie attended C.E. Byrd High School and stepped into adulthood early, marrying at seventeen and becoming a mother at eighteen. Before they married, she and Thomas met while taking square‑dancing lessons, quickly becoming dance partners and forming a bond that grew into a lifelong partnership. She went on to raise five children, balancing the demands of a young family with a work ethic that never wavered. In her early years, she worked as a cashier at Brookshire’s and later opened her home to the community by running her own personal day care in Shreveport for ten years.

In 1977, she moved to Princeton and settled next door to her parents, where she lovingly helped care for them until their passing. Afterward, she began a new chapter as a Pest Control Technician with Bagwell Pest Control in Bossier City. Determined to build something of her own, she studied, tested, and earned her Louisiana state license in 1985. From that achievement, she created Nell’s Pest Control, a business she developed, managed, and poured her heart into from 1989 until her retirement in 2015. After 26 years of service, she proudly passed the business on to her daughters, Vanessa and Kimberly, who had worked alongside her for many years.

Outside of work, Nellie found joy in the simple, grounding things of life. She loved the outdoors and enjoyed long walks, vegetable gardening, and tending to her flowers. She and her first husband, Thomas, raised chickens together, sharing fresh eggs with friends and family. She played Pokeno for years with groups of ladies in the Haughton area, and she delighted in traveling, especially the unforgettable road trip across America with three close friends. She also enjoyed church choir trips and outings with Brother Scottie to places like Branson. Her faith was central to her life; she rededicated herself on October 4, 2005, during a revival service at Haughton Baptist, where she found renewed assurance of her salvation. She served as a caretaker not only for her parents but also for her brother, Norris Spear.

Her heart for service extended into the community as she helped prepare and distribute food boxes for needy families through The Action Committee of Haughton. She loved attending church, was active in her Ladies Dorcas Life Group, served on social committees, and faithfully reached out to members with phone calls. At home, she found comfort listening to Billy Graham’s preaching on television, a steady reminder of the faith that guided her life.

Nellie’s story is one of resilience, devotion, and quiet strength. She built a life defined by hard work, service, and love, leaving behind a legacy carried forward by her family, her community, and the many people whose lives she touched.

Nellie was preceded in death by her parents, Allen and Elma Spear; her husbands, Glen Martin and Thomas Lockhart; her sisters, Ola Mae Spear, Bernice Hester, and Leona Hill; and her brothers, Ray, Wesley, Norris, and Buck Spear. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters, Sherry Roberson and husband, Wayne, Vanessa Keith and husband, John, and Tracy Wells and husband, Marty, and her son, Michael Martin and wife, Vickie. She is also survived by her granddaughters, Catherine Troquille, Jessica Collins, Ashley Bilbrey, and Alexis Haynes; her grandsons, Johnny Keith, Hunter Wells, and Cameron Wells; her great‑grandchildren, Christian and Cullen Keith, Kaylea and Maverick Collins, and Everly Bilbrey; and her step‑daughters, Sondra Lockhart, Rhonda Foster and husband, Mike, and Heather Clot.

Honoring Nellie as pallbearers will be Johnny Keith, Christian Keith, Cullen Keith, Hunter Wells, Chad Troquille, Chris Carter, and Buck McGee. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Johnny Barbo and Jim Schultz.

The family would like to give thanks to the employees at Cypress Pointe Nursing Center for their care of Mom during her almost 4-week stay with them. A special thanks to Barbara, Nikki, Chaplin Jim, and others with Lifepath Hospice Care who gave mom such comforting care and reassuring support to children & family.