Martha Kelley Potter

On April 26, 2020, Martha Ann Kelley Potter (“Marty”) passed away peacefully at the Crofton Care and Rehabilitation Center where she was recovering from a fall on February 6, 2020. She was 89.

Martha was born in Greenville, South Carolina on December 26, 1930.  After spending her childhood in SC, she attended, and graduated from Mars Hill Junior College, NC, and from Furman University in Greenville, SC, and earned her Masters of Music at the Southern Baptist Music Seminary. 

She moved to the Washington, DC area in the mid-1950’s, where she met and married the love of her life, Joseph M. Potter, her husband of 26 years.  Martha was an accomplished soprano and pianist, and had the voice of an angel.  After teaching voice lessons from her home, Martha embarked on a career in the aerospace industry for almost 2 decades, and retired from her post as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) librarian at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1993.

Martha was a charter member of Village Baptist Church in Mitchellville, MD, where she sang in the choir, and was devoted to God, and to her church family.  She touched everyone she met in a profound way, including all of the wonderful doctors, nurses, therapists and caregivers, whose care she was so blessed to receive.

Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph, her mother and father, Furman O. Kelley, Sr. and Ruth Graydon Kelley, and her brother, Furman Jr.  She is survived by her son, Anthony J. Potter in Ellicott City, MD, her daughter Angela M. Culley and her husband Wayne, her favorite 19 year-old grandson, Chris M. Culley and favorite 16 year-old Michael W. Culley in Bowie, MD.

Finally, she is survived her beloved Lee Belleman in Danville, Indiana with whom she was devoted to the last 20 years of her life.  Martha and Lee met at Mars Hill and rekindled their romance in 2000.  Lee added so much joy and faith to her life and our family.  Martha was close to Lee’s family and enjoyed of card games, vacations, and visiting his loving family.

Memorial service is postponed until further notice.  In lieu of flowers, please mail a donation to Village Baptist Church, PO Box 1634, Bowie, MD 20717 or online donations at www.villagebaptistbowie.org.