Elizabeth Marie Martin

Peggy Martin—a compassionate, willful, joyous, beloved woman—passed away in La Plata, MD, on Monday, December 5, 2022. All who knew her felt incalculably blessed, and those who didn’t—well, it’s your loss. Elizabeth Marie “Peggy” Martin lived many lives during her 81 years on this planet: farmer’s daughter, middle child of seven, mother to four boys, aunt, school bus driver, auto-parts deliverywoman, her family’s go-to wedding cake baker, grandmother to three, great-grandmother to five, and peerless gardener. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Marie Bassford, and her brothers Bobby, Lee, and Perrie. She is survived by her sons Marty, Randy, Ronnie, and Tommy; her siblings Barbara, Francis, and Margaret; her grandchildren Samantha, Patrick, and T.C.; and her great-grandchildren Tyler, Rylee, Kynsley, Seth, and Bryce. She was born in Hughesville, MD, on May 5, 1941 and died from a stroke on December 5, 2022. Peggy grew up on her family’s farm near Hughesville, MD, among the dirt and the tobacco leaves and her six brothers and sisters. She attended La Plata High School. She had four sons by Robert J. Martin. She raised them herself in a double-wide trailer on a small plot of land from her father’s farm. Peggy loved simple things, and she loved them hard. Hallmark movies and strong coffee, Little Debbie desserts and her pet fish. She was particularly fond of nature. Every year she hung feeders on her deck to attract ruby-throated hummingbirds. She enjoyed watching them buzz and drink and squabble for mates. She used to prowl her backyard, net in hand, with her grandson T.C., who loved catching butterflies and other insects as a kid. Her granddaughter Samantha fondly recalls the summers she spent at Nana’s house, splashing around in her kiddie pool while Peggy slathered on tanning oil and made BLTs for lunch. But Peggy loved gardening most of all. Sunflowers, peonies, irises, pansies, mums, you name it: everything she watered grew strong. Her four sons grew up to become an automobile painter, a construction worker, a watch repairman, and a goldsmith. Artists, all of them, and their craftsmanship came from none other than Peggy herself—of that, she was sure. No one could frost a cake tier as deftly as her; her ornately decorated Christmas tree was the envy of the entire neighborhood. She arranged her garden beds with the masterful focus of a composer crafting a symphony. Her penmanship stunned with its careful beauty. She joked often about hitting the lottery and saturating her life with color: colorful house, colorful car, petals and leaves of every tone and shade. But she never won more than seventy-five dollars on her weekly Powerball ticket, so she savored life’s color wherever she could. Those who loved her knew her to be a formidable woman who stood her ground. She was the last person to let someone walk all over her and the first to remind you that you shouldn’t either. Her wisdom, her laugh, her smile, her gentleness, her generosity, and her steel will be dearly missed. You may find her among the flowers. Visitation will be held on Monday, December 19 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Brinsfield Funeral Home in Charlotte Hall, MD. The Funeral Service will begin there at 11:00 am, followed by interment at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Waldorf, MD. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department.

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Elizabeth Marie Martin

May 5, 1941 - December 5, 2022