Ms. Martha Ann Prewitt Hitch, 91, died Saturday, February 10, 2024, at The Elison in Oxford, MS. There are no services planned at this time. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Martha was born on June 22, 1932, in Slaughter, MS, to the late Martha Ellen Tily and Rufus Latimer Prewitt. From a young age, she developed a passion for the theater and musical arts, with a vivid imagination that could find beauty and whimsy in any corner of life. Martha nurtured her love of the arts by first earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Mississippi State College for Women, then attending The University of Mississippi where she earned a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. She then earned a Master’s Degree in Theater from The University of New Orleans, where she flourished in a city surrounded by so many creative minds like her own. Finally, she obtained her Doctorate from Ole Miss, pairing her natural passion with a fine-tuned education that allowed Martha the rare opportunity of finding complete joy in her career. While studying at Ole Miss, she was a member of the Sigma Alpha Iota International music fraternity. Martha began teaching Theater at Northwest Community College in Oxford.
She was a longtime pianist, organist, and choir director at First Presbyterian Church of Oxford, where she also led the senior adult’s ministry. Melding her life’s passion and love for Christ seamlessly, nothing brought Martha greater joy than to share her musical gifts and faith at the same time. She was also a beloved and devout member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Martha’s lifelong dedication to the fine arts touched every part of her life and each person she interacted with. It was her hope that her life in the arts would help others search for the same beauty and come away with an appreciation for music and theater. In addition to her parents, Martha was preceded in death by her daughter, Sara Carter Hitch.
Martha is survived by her daughter, Jane “Ellen” Hitch Gambino and her husband, Alex, of Simi Valley, CA; one grandchild, Maria Rebecca Jackson; two great-grandchildren, Alexis Jackson (Terrence) and Austin Jackson; brother, Edward Dudley Prewitt and his wife, Marcia, of Mobile, AL; niece, Elli Louise Prewitt of Birmingham, AL; several cousins, and her dear friend, Maggie Winters, and many others who helped in taking care of her needs.
Expressions of sympathy or memorial contributions in Martha’s memory may be made to The University of Mississippi Music Department through The University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, Mississippi 38655, or online at https://www.umfoundation.com/make-a-gift/ .
