Martha Jane Sector Paul

Martha Jane Sector Paul (MJ Paul) of Cutchogue, was called by her heavenly Father to forever rest on Saturday, March 23, 2024. She left this earth peacefully surrounded by her son Dr. Jonathan Paul and daughter-in-law Kathy Paul. She was 98.

MJ was born in Brooklyn on Sept. 14, 1925, to Jane (Coningsby) and Jim Sector. MJ grew up in Rockville Centre and attended Southside High School. The Sectors bought a small bungalow on Mattituck Creek in the 1930s and spent many summers with extended family enjoying the natural pristine beauty of the North Fork. They were great boaters and sailors and transitioned their water activities from Mattituck Creek to Cutchogue harbor. They would anchor their wooden boat in the cove by Nassau Point, and Martha Jane would talk of sightings of Albert Einstein walking on the beach. In 1947 the Sectors purchased a lot on Nassau Point and built a home, which is still in the family.

MJ graduated from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in fine art. It was there that she found the love of her life, LeRoy Albert Paul. They were married Sept. 14, 1948, and enjoyed a wonderful loving relationship for 55 years until he passed in 2003. MJ was a member of the Mattituck Presbyterian Church and had a deep faith in Jesus. During her life she taught art, ESL and Sunday school. In the 1980s she became president of the “Save Robins Island” committee, which fought off developers and other interest groups (casino investors) from purchasing the island. In 2021 there was a monthlong exhibition in the Cutchogue Library called Five Generations of Women in Art. She and her mother, alongside 10 other women and girls within the family, showcased their works of art for public enjoyment.

MJ was predeceased by her husband, LeRoy, in 2003. She is survived by four children: Jennifer (Brian) Forstell of Annapolis, Md., Mary Batthany of Delhi, N.Y., Ann (Eugene) Burger of Cutchogue and Dr. Jonathan Paul (Kathy) of Charlotte, N.C.; 14 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck on Sunday, April 14, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Her funeral will be at Mattituck Presbyterian Church on Monday, April 15, at 11 a.m. Afterwards she will be laid to rest at the Cutchogue Cemetery.

This is a paid notice.