Mattie Pearl (Martin) Kinard

Mattie Pearl Kinard, 78, of Chantilly, VA, formerly of Brandon, FL, was called home to be with The Lord on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Mattie was born on March 15, 1947, in Apalachicola, FL to Mary E Martin.

Mattie graduated from the Most Pure Heart of Mary High School in Mobile, AL, in May 1965.  Following graduation, Mattie worked at Finleys all black drug store to help fund her tuition at Bishop State College where she earned an Associate’s Degree in 1968. After graduation, Mattie went to visit her older brother Willie C. at Fort Dix, NJ where she fell in love with a fellow solider, Richard Alberty. She next followed her sister Jean to Washington DC to work at C&P Telephone company.  In 1969, Mattie gave birth to her only child, a daughter, Shannon Yvette Martin.

Mattie enlisted in the Army Reserves on October 25, 1976 and became one of the 1st female Drill Sergeants. She enjoyed the Army so much that she left the telephone company in 1987 and began serving in the Active Guard Reserve program before retiring in 2011, after 35 years of honorable service.

Mattie is survived by her husband, Thomas Arkwright; her daughter, Shannon Martin (Reginald); four grandchildren: Dakota Porter (Knequilla), Meixandra, Rudie, III (aka Trey), and Jordan; one great grandson, Emri; three great granddaughters: Kairi, Bria, and Erin; four siblings: Jean, Leonard (She’la), Fannie (Glenn), and Henry (Cheryl); nieces: Debra, Pam, Layfette (Ken), Keasha (Leroy), Jamilla, Cheyenne, Morgan, Dierra, Jessica, and Jayla; nephews Willie C. Jr., Raymond (Zintesia), Tyree, Rek, and Kelvin (Amanda); several great nieces and nephews, and many friends and family by choice.

Mattie is preceded in death by her mother, Mary E. Martin, and two older brothers, James Martin, and Willie C. Martin.

Mattie Pearl walked among us with a heart that lifted the weary higher. She was a prayer warrior.  Her spirit lit shadowed corners.  From pulpits to porches, from stores to pews, Mattie Pearl carried the Good News, not just in sermons, but in daily deed. She wasn’t just an ordained Evangelist, she evangelized. Her laughter, a balm to the soul; her wisdom, a guide; and her love stretched endlessly to cover us all.

Mattie Pearl’s generosity and care was unmatched.  She became a certified “Peer Support & Recovery Training” specialist to support military veterans. She also donated to Paralyzed Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and American Veterans (AMVETS). She loved nature and animals in the wild so she donated annually to both The Nature Conservancy and the Defenders of Wildlife. Always one to lend a hand to others, Mattie ceaselessly donated to provide programs and services for people with disabilities through the Easter Seals; battle against cancer through the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and provide donations to continue research to eradicate Alzheimer’s through the Alzheimer’s Association.  Having come of age in the 1960’s in the segregated south, Mattie was distinctly aware of the disadvantages facing African Americans.  She fought through the end against hatred and bigotry in America with ongoing donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the United Negro College Fund, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Mattie Pearl embodied Matthew 18:10 that emphasizes protecting and nurturing little children through her charitable donations to Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home (Boys Town), St. Joseph’s Indian School, Hanna Boys Center, and the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation.

Luke 12:48 instructs us that we are accountable for our blessings, talents, and knowledge, and must use them responsibly to help others.  Mattie Pearl didn’t just read the Word. She didn’t just teach the Word. She didn’t just preach the Word.  Mattie Pearl lived and embodied the Word of God.   

Her favorite scripture was John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” 

A funeral service will be held on Friday, December 19, 2025, 11AM, at Joynes Funeral Home, 29 N. Third St., Warrenton, VA, 20186.  Pastor E. Todd Stubblefield will deliver the eulogy.

Interment with military honors will be at Quantico National Cemetery.

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