Freestone County, Texas
Obituaries



Gail Ferguson Martens Stoops	
  Gail Ferguson Martens Stoops died peacefully on May 6, 2013 surrounded by her 
loving family and friends. Gail was born March 2, 1936 in New London, Texas to 
Irene and Fred Ferguson. She attended Baylor University.
  Her early life included a marriage to Jim Martens and working as a child 
welfare officer in Baton Rouge, LA. She also used her training at Baylor 
University to begin writing professionally. She wrote for Louisiana’s 
Conservationist and Wildlife and Fisheries magazines, collecting wild game 
recipes from Louisiana’s most prominent chefs.
  During her career at NASA, she was the director of public relations for the 
Apollo Moon Missions. She was friends with early astronauts Neil Armstrong and 
John Glenn. She then married Gordon Stoops, who worked with Wernher von Braun 
as head of rocket propulsion development for the Saturn rockets. It was during 
these years that Gail and Gordon frequently entertained Russian cosmonauts in 
their legendary Texas gulf coast style.
  After the death of her sons Greg and Danny, Gail devoted her life to art. She 
became an international artist, with her works bringing joy across the continents. 
As powerful as her paintings are, her impact in the studio is even greater. She 
was a mentor, surrogate mother and unwavering friend to hundreds of students, 
many of who became professional artists and teachers of art themselves. The 
evidence of her influence was apparent in the constant expression of gratitude 
and love during the hours before her death.
  She was preceded in death by her parents, husbands, Jim Martens and Gordon 
Stoops, two sons Greg and Danny Martens, as well as her brother, Don Ferguson.
  She is survived by her son James F. Martens and his wife Jette, of Austin 
Texas, and daughter Marianna Hendrycy and her husband Paul of Fayetteville, 
Arkansas. She is also survived by Cloace McGill and her husband Henry, and their 
three daughters, as well as her deceased brother’s children:  Michelle, Mike, 
Kim, Kris and their mother, Erlene Ferguson. Also surviving are her grandchildren 
Jessica Reddick, Dana Craw, Robin Martens, Gordon Martens, Paul Goerlitz, Katy 
Martens, Max Hendrycy, Michael Cook and Marjolyn Varano.
  Gail was buried alongside her sons Greg and Danny in Streetman, Texas, on May 
18th, 2013. A memorial service will be held in Fayetteville at a later date.