Former First Lady Martha Sundquist Dies, State Forest In Cocke County Named For Her

Former Tennessee First Lady Martha Sundquist has died. She served as first lady while her husband Don Sundquist served two terms as Tennessee governor from 1995 to 2003. The 2,000 acre Martha Sundquist State Forest is named in her honor. That state forest is in Cocke County along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. You see the sign for that forest when traveling on Interstate 40 near Hartford.

Funeral services will be held for Martha Sundquist at the Tuckaleechee United Methodist Church in Townsend on March 21. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend. Martha Sundquist was 88. Former governor Don Sundquist died in 2023 at the age of 87.