Martha V. Seppi

Martha Seppi, 92, passed away suddenly and peacefully on May 23, 2022, in Springfield, Virginia, surrounded by family and friends. Martha is predeceased by her husband of nearly 70 years, Bruno, and two daughters, Diane Weaver and Valerie Sedwick of Maryland.  Martha is survived by seven children, Bruno J., Howard, Timothy, and Martino, of Maryland; Perry of Texas; Gary of Louisiana; daughter, Marilyn of Virginia, and 25 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.  Martha also is predeceased by her mother, Emily B. (Hendrickx) Kasowski, and father, Albert Kasowski of Casselton, North Dakota.  Martha was one of 11 children, and is survived by her brother, Frank Kasowski of Casselton, North Dakota, her sister, Rita Anderson of Granite Falls, Minnesota, and 65 nieces and nephews.

Martha, at 17, was the valedictorian and youngest graduate of her high school in May 1947. She graduated in 1951 from the College of St. Scholastica, Saint Mary’s School of Nursing in Duluth, Minnesota.  While training and working as a registered nurse at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Duluth she met Bruno, the love of her life.  Martha and Bruno married the day after she graduated on June 18, 1951 at St. Louis Cathedral in Duluth, Minnesota.  A year after their honeymoon, with a 1941 Chrysler, an old trailer, and only a few possessions, Martha and Bruno headed to Alaska.  They homesteaded and built their first home in Anchorage and lived there for 12 years before moving to Maryland in 1964.  They lived in Lanham, Maryland until they bought and settled into their 35-acre farm in Bowie, Maryland in 1966. 

In addition to working at St. Mary’s hospital, Martha also worked as a registered nurse at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska; Lakeside Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana; Anne Arundel Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland; and for various U.S. Government agencies in Washington, D.C.   

During her nearly four decades of service as a registered nurse, Martha worked during the polio epidemic in Minnesota, the 1964 Good Friday 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Alaska, a flood in New Orleans that required her to ride in someone’s Jeep to get her to the hospital, and the 1982 Pan Am plane crash in New Orleans.  Martha enjoyed all her jobs, but the maternity ward and caring for infants and children were always her favorite work assignments, so there is no surprise that she and Bruno had 9 children. 

Martha was Treasurer of the Bowie Italian-American Social Club and a long-standing volunteer for the Knights of Columbus.  Martha also, along with her husband Bruno, were founding members of and participated in many volunteer activities at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland.  Martha was an avid gardener who worked tirelessly with Bruno on their farm in Bowie and as members of the Gardening Guild at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C. 

Martha’s Catholic faith was an important cornerstone of her life and the basis for her selfless giving, hardworking and loving spirit.  She was the thread that held the fabric of the Seppi family quilt together.  Martha emphasized peace, forgiveness, love, family, friends, and faith in her daily living. 

In addition to her love of the Church, family, and friends, Martha enjoyed many hobbies, including vegetable and flower gardening, farming, baking, canning, knitting, crocheting, playing cards, solitaire, doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles, bird-watching, babysitting, and traveling.  She knitted countless afghans for family and friends.  She was a remarkable cook and made the best homemade meals and baked goods for her family and friends.

Martha, along with her husband Bruno, had an adventuresome spirit.  They traveled throughout the world, including all 50 U.S. states.  She loved geography and always said on family vacations that “every U.S. state and park has its beauty” and she quizzed her children on the capitals of each state. 

A visitation gathering will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 10 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 11 a.m. at St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland.  There will be a private interment on June 14, 2022 at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington D.C.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Franciscan Monastery, 1400 Quincy Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017.