Martha Jr. Caudill Conley was born July 15, 1954, in Memphis, Tennessee, and lived in Milligan Ridge, Mississippi County, Arkansas.

After her marriage to Hershel Conley, she attended Arkansas State College in Jonesboro and majored in speech. The Conleys helped operate the Caudill Brothers Gin in Milligan Ridge. They later moved to Cherokee Village and bought the Ford dealership in Hardy, during which time Martha opened a women's fitness center. In 2006 the Conleys moved to Mountain Home, where Hershel later became the pastor at Bridge Baptist Church.

Martha is the mother of Garrard Conley, author of Boy Erased: A Memoir. She is an advocate for acceptance of LGBTQ people. Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe portrayed Martha and Hershel in the 2018 movie Boy Erased.

 
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