Myra Jane Townsend-Bartley, 93, formerly of Clarksburg and Bridgeport, WV, passed away on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 in Quality of Life Services at Mercer.
She was born on January 31, 1933, in Huntington, WV to John Henry and Georgia (Blanton) Maynard. Myra graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1951 and would go on to marry Billy R. Townsend on September 28, 1952, with whom she would share the next thirty-six years prior to his passing.
Throughout her life Myra furthered her education by graduating from Fairmont College with Bachelor of Education in 1963, WVU with a Master of Behavioral Counseling in 1968, and additionally from additionally from WVU a Master of Education Administration in 1970.
Myra served as the Dean of Women at Salem College from 1970 to 1973. Under her administration Johnson Elementary School became the first school in West Virginia to be recognized as a National School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. After having a successful career as an educator and counselor, she retired in 1998 from Harrison County Board of Education as Director of Human Resources.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Myrtle Beach, SC. Myra was a Paul Harris Fellow and former member of the Rotary Club of Clarksburg.
Myra is now reunited in Heaven with her parents, her husbands Billy R. Townsend on September 18, 1988 and Robert L. Bartley whom she married on November 27, 1991 and passed away on June 20, 2015, her brother John B. Maynard on May 31, 2021, and by her nephew John Tyson Maynard on October 27, 2023.
She is survived by her sister-in-law Debby Maynard and nephew Ian B. Maynard and his wife Laura, and her great-nephews James, Marcus, Jacob, and Joseph, all of Sharpsville, Pa..
Friends may call on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the HARMER FUNERAL HOME 300 Pike St. Shinnston, WV 26431. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. followed by burial on the Maynard-Townsend family plot in Bridgeport Cemetery in Bridgeport, WV.