Martha Cloudt

Martha Virginia Matthews Cloudt, 93, went home to be with the Lord on October 15, 2024. Born on April 17, 1931, in Tucker, Georgia, she was the firstborn daughter of James Ralph Matthews and Lola Belle Chewning Matthews. Known as "Virginia," she was a child of the Great Depression of the 1930s, during which she developed character traits and skills that served her throughout her life. From raising her family of five children to homemaking and later working outside the home, Virginia was hardworking, determined, and loyal. She dearly loved her family and was most content in her kitchen, cooking big meals for the large crowds that gathered at her home. The faith she found in Jesus Christ as a child sustained her throughout her life.

After graduating from Clarkston High School, Virginia married her high school sweetheart, Buddy Cloudt. In their early years, along with Buddy's brother, they owned and operated Cloudt's Food Store and Village Kitchen, an Atlanta landmark on Peachtree Road known for its high-end foods and specialty items.

While raising their family in the Atlanta area, they decided to move away from the city. In 1960, they built their dream home in Dunwoody, allowing them to enjoy the peace of country living long before Dunwoody became the bustling metropolis it is today. Raising five children spread across eighteen years was a challenge in itself. Virginia often remarked that she had teenagers for twenty-five years, from the time the first turned 13 until the last turned 20!

At age 60, she embarked on a new career with FedEx in customer service. Entering the workforce after so many years of child-rearing was a challenge that Virginia took on with zeal. Her attitude of determination and persistence, while always seeking quality outcomes, served her well throughout her life.

In what should have been their retirement years, she and Buddy started a new business, "Cloudt's Security Services." Virginia managed all the bookkeeping and billing, while Buddy, often single-handedly, installed security systems in homes and businesses across Atlanta and beyond. After surviving open-heart surgery, breast cancer, and numerous other health conditions, Virginia continued managing the business until age 90, several years after Buddy's passing in 2016.

In addition to her parents, Virginia was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 67 years, Moritz A. (Buddy) Cloudt Jr.; two sons, Robert (Bob) Cloudt and Steven Cloudt; and her sister, Marie Mowell.

She is survived by her sons, Dwight (Karen) Cloudt and Wayne (Keitha) Cloudt; her daughter, Catherine Cloudt; daughter-in-law, Nancy Cloudt; and her grandchildren: Todd Cloudt, Kenneth Cloudt, Kevin Cloudt, Michael Cloudt, Lisa Lake, Donnie Cloudt, Shane Cloudt, Anna Laura White, Jennifer Fogus, and Kristen Mayberry. She is also survived by 26 great-grandchildren (with #27 on the way!); her sister, Juanita Goddard; and many nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at Floral Hills Memory Gardens, with Pastor Mitch Hagins officiating. A. S. Turner & Sons is serving the family.