Martha B. Hussey - Obituary

artha Burnett Hussey passed away peacefully on Friday, April 7, 2023, in Silver Spring, MD. Martha was born October 13, 1931, in Washington, DC to the late William and Bertha Stewart. Martha was the eighth of thirteen siblings. Martha was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers (Sterling Stewart, James Stewart, Dunbar Stewart, and William (Jimmy) Stewart), and seven sisters (Earline Gates, Annie Dickerson, Rosare Giles, Beatrice Liggins, Dorothy Ray, Shirley Clark and Mary Bass). She is survived by her sister, Frances B. Williams, the children she loved as her own (Sultan Stewart, Aisha Stewart and Khalif Stewart), and many nieces and nephews. Martha attended public school in Washington DC and enjoyed horseback riding as a teenager. Her interest in horses was due to her brother James who worked at the Russell Horse Stables. Martha rode many of the horse trails in Rock Creek Park. After graduating from Cardoza High School, she moved to Chicago, Illinois where she received her certification as an X-ray technician. In Chicago she would meet and marry Oran Hussey. The union did not last but she did reconnect with her older sister Earline Stewart Gates in Chicago. Martha turned her attention to other interests beyond medicine and explored the world of international trade as an entrepreneur. She and Earline would live together until the death of Earline in 1987. Martha would move to Orlando Florida and then return to her place of birth, Washington, DC in 2016. Martha enjoyed international travel. Her passport had many country stamps from the Caribbean Islands to Africa and places in between. She loved the Bahamas and would regale us with her “Island” accent, and tell anyone, who would listen, about her international adventures. Martha was a social butterfly who loved to host dinner parties and attend the opera. Martha could be stern and strict when it came to manners and appearance, it was her way of showing love, wanting all to be the absolute best. Martha will be remembered as someone who loved to tell stories, jokes, and had a special love for Sultan, Aisha, Khalif and her sister, Frances. Family and friends are invited to Fellowship at 11 AM followed by a memorial service at 12 noon on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 6160 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill, MD 20745.