Gerlene Lifer's Obituary
Gerlene Stubbs Lifer died on Good Friday evening, April 3, 2026, and lives now with Christ her Lord in his Church Triumphant. Born in Philipp, Mississippi on January 27, 1934, the third child of Oliver Stubbs and Ethel Jolly Stubbs, Gerlene marked her eventful life with ebullience, love, and a generosity that blessed her family, church families, and friends. Having grown up as the baby daughter of a disabled WW1 veteran and his outgoing wife, proprietors of a small town’s primary store, Gerlene exuded a never-met-a-stranger personality. She also held to a strong faith; a baptized member of the Philipp Baptist Church, she grew up also worshiping in other congregations, such as Presbyterian and predominantly African American Pentecostal churches. In addition, having seen her father (a rare Republican in 1930s-1940s Mississippi) work courageously to overcome Jim Crow restrictions and help African Americans register for voting rights – Gerlene throughout her life followed her father’s example of actively furthering biblical standards and Constitutional ideals to benefit many people in their civic engagement.
Gerlene won numerous academic awards in primary and secondary school, and she was a cheerleader in both high school and her freshman year in college. After her high school sweetheart, Martin William Lifer, Jr., returned home from service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Gerlene and Martin were married in the spring of her college sophomore year. The next year, they each completed their undergraduate education at Memphis State University – now named the University of Memphis (“UofM”). Martin graduated as valedictorian of the UofM Business School, and Gerlene earned a B.A. with highest honors. She went on to complete her M.Ed. at Age 22, and she began the professional vocation she would fulfill for much of the next 45 years: serving as a beloved teacher and Practical Instructor for the UofM Education Department in its Campus School. Through the decades, she taught thousands of elementary school children, trained dozens of interns, and led the way in reviewing and implementing model education for children.
Gerlene wholeheartedly loved her family and was a loyal daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She adored her two children (Leisa and Martin), and “Nana” doted on her four grandchildren (Rachel, Calder, Grace, and Faith), and her great-granddaughter (Phoebe). She rejoiced to visit them, vacation with them, and tell other people about them. She also provided selfless support to relatives beset by illness or other challenges, and she was a faithful caregiver to her husband during his decade-long health decline resulting from the brain cancer that ultimately led to his death in 1986.
Throughout her life, Gerlene was a devoted Christian and church member. Almost every week of her life she participated in Lord’s Day worship, Sunday School, and other Bible studies. Likewise, her mornings always included devotional and prayer time. For the final decade of Martin Jr.’s life, he and Gerlene were active members of Central Church; following his death, she joined Second Presbyterian Church, where for decades she regularly participated in the Gillespie Sunday School Class and other ministries. She further delighted to participate in her son’s congregations and mission work, and she personally joined him in several mission efforts, including in Hungary, France, and Neah Bay, Washington.
Always a lover of the outdoors, gardening, and landscaping, she was particularly pleased to achieve the high rank of Certified Lifetime Master Gardener. She was also a birdwatcher and wildlife watcher, loved her pets, and was an enthusiastic fan of many sports and teams (with the UofM Tiger Basketball Team always taking top spot in her support). Active in the Tennessee Republican Party from the days when it was a small minority group, she served at many local and state meetings. Likewise, she was an avid student of U.S. history, literature, and art, and she enjoyed serving for many years as a docent at both the Brooks Museum of Art and the Dixon Gallery & Gardens.
Preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister (Mattie “Tootie”) and brother (Bill), Gerlene is survived by her: daughter, Dr. Leisa Lifer Marshall; son, Rev. Dr. Martin W. Lifer III (Nancy Lifer); granddaughter Dr. Rachel Marshall (Anton Hones); grandson, Calder Marshall (Allyson Marshall); granddaughter Grace Lifer Dunlap (Christian Dunlap); granddaughter Faith Lifer (Marco Hernandez); great-granddaughter, Phoebe Dunlap; and numerous, beloved extended family.
All friends are invited to a Memorial Service at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in the Chapel of Second Presbyterian Church (4055 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38111), and to the preceding Visitation, 12:30-1:45 p.m., in the church’s Salmon Room. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Eastminster Presbyterian Church marked for Children’s Ministry (1958 N Webb Rd, Wichita, KS 67206).
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