Martha Hankin LeFebvre

Martha Hankin LeFebvre passed away peacefully at home on July 11, 2026, leaving the world an infinitely better place because of her time here.

Martha Riggs Hankin was born on November 12, 1951 in Lower Manhattan to Robert (“Bob”) Marvin Hankin and Elisabeth (“Betsy”) Riggs Hankin. Martha was the middle child of three with her brother, David, two years her senior and her brother, Steven, two years her junior, and spent her childhood years in Williamstown, MA and Leonia, NJ. Martha’s family lineage instilled in her deep belief in, and appreciation for, public education, social justice, human connection and compassion above material acquisition, and stewardship for the natural world. The family moved south to Durham, NC in 1966 during a time of intense social unrest and racial tension around the integration of public schools. Betsy Hankin became the first white teacher at Walltown Elementary School, and Martha and her siblings entered high school at Durham High School. Martha became the target of hate and harassment from those resistant to integration. She spent her high school years feeling ostracized for refusing to participate in a belief system she vehemently disagreed with. These experiences further instilled in Martha the ardent commitment to confront racism and discrimination head-on and to never stop advocating for equity and justice.

Martha was a person who did what she believed was right, regardless of what anyone else was doing; she taught her three children to do the same. Her personal integrity was unwavering. She was of the earth and of the people. She preferred authentic, real heart-to-heart connection above intellectualism, which is why she treasured her time with young people so much. She never forgot what it was like to be a child and she carried that awareness into her interactions with children, engaging with them on a level that made them feel seen and understood. A graduate of Antioch College, Martha planned to be a public school teacher, following in the footsteps of her mother. In 1977, Martha gave birth to her first child, Raven Grace LeFebvre, born at midnight with a shock of black hair. Three years later she welcomed her son, Raoul Rainer LeFebvre, into the family. Pivoting from her original plan of being a public school teacher, Martha began her program, Martha’s House, in 1979 as a way to earn income while home with her young children. The family welcomed their third child, Moriah Sadye LeFebvre, in 1985. Over the years, Martha’s House became a local institution, a truly unique and treasured place in the lives of countless families. Those who came to Martha’s House, whether her “littlest rabbits” at 18 months, or her college students who came back biannually to reconnect with their friends from toddlerhood, were welcomed into a space that was both magical and unpretentious. This was a space which deeply valued and cultivated play, storytelling, mutual care, art projects, and conversations about ethics at every age. Those who came through her program consistently count it as one of the most impactful and formative forces in their lives.

Martha moved through the world making connections with strangers, operating with the assumption that each individual she crossed paths with had something to say that was worth slowing down long enough to hear. She wasn’t shy to speak directly and as a result she made meaningful connections with other human beings everywhere she went. A true extrovert and a lifelong lover of movement, Martha danced from her earliest days. After being hit by a car as a pedestrian in her early sixties, her movement shifted from zydeco dancing and step classes to line dancing at the Campus Hills Wellness Center, long walks around her neighborhood, and swimming at the Edison Johnson Aquatics Center.

Martha lived in the same block for 49 years. She ran her childcare program, Martha’s House, from 1979-2025. She was a fixture in the lives of so many in her community, both those who knew her well and those who witnessed her from a distance as an always steady, always upbeat presence. Martha was happiest when she was dancing, feeding her grandsons organic veggies that she had grown in her garden, pressing flowers and guiding others through her pressed flower art projects, spending time purely in the moment with young children, listening to her grandsons play their instruments, connecting with others in meaningful and unexpected ways, sharing the joy of a good book or documentary, serving delicious home-cooked food to those she loved, taking long walks, or having laughing fits with those who were privileged enough to experience this.

Martha LeFebvre is preceded in death by her parents, Robert Marvin Hankin and Elisabeth Riggs Hankin. She is survived by her three children, Raven Grace LeFebvre, Raoul Rainer LeFebvre, and Moriah Sadye LeFebvre; her grandsons David Garrett Clayton and Robert Gavin Clayton; her brother, David Marvin Hankin, sister-in-law Nancy Diamond, and their children Charlie Hankin and Dorae Hankin; her brother Steven Charles Hankin, sister-in-law Polly Hankin, and their son Christopher Hankin. She will continue to live on in all of the lives she touched and all of the seeds of goodness she sewed.

Her cremations will be interred naturally in a woodland plot at Bluestem conservation cemetery, where those who loved her can hike amongst the trees and remember her. It feels in keeping that this woman, who delivered all three of her children out of hospital and had a deep trust in the natural processes and unfoldings of things in her own life, will be able to return to the soil and become a part of the natural world once more. A celebration of life will be held for her family and community at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, support public education in her honor. Take the time to notice another person and see the humanity in them. Support storytelling festivals, audio documentary, NPR, and PBS. Listen to what a young person has to say. Find ways to connect with and appreciate the natural world. Use and reuse resources wisely and with ingenuity. Spend time creating—whether that’s food, art, community, or, ideally, all of the above. Read books. Play. Dance. Don’t spend your life chasing money, status, or outward validation. Instead, in the words of Howard Thurman, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” And if you do this, as Martha did, you will inspire others to do the same, and the world will be an infinitely better place because of your time here.