Martha Stewart

Martha Breu Stewart was born in Nuremberg, Germany in August 1925.  She and her younger brother, Helmut, grew up in the small Bavarian town of Cham near the Czech border.  Her father, Joseph Breu, was a tailor and her mother a home maker.  Her birth mother died early in her childhood and she and her brother were raised by their stepmother.  While in Cham, she  lived through difficult periods brought on by the Nazi transformation of Germany and World War II.
She met her future husband, Arthur Stewart, when he was stationed in Cham as part of the US post-war occupation of Germany.  They were married in November 1951 and shortly thereafter left for the US when her husband was reassigned.  She then lived on Army installations located in Fort Totten, New York, Gifu, Japan, and Ft. Bragg, NC until her husband retired from the Army in February 1959.  Her only child, Dennis, was born when they lived in New York.
After her husband retired, they moved to his home town of New Orleans, Louisiana and continued to live there until shortly after his death in September 1961.  Prior to that, her father left Germany and came to live with relatives in Baltimore, Maryland.  In June 1962, Martha decided to move to Baltimore and establish a household with her father and son in the Baltimore County community of Arbutus.  She was a full-time homemaker until 1972 when she went to work for the Social Security Administration as a Claims Authorizer.  She retired in December 1987.
In retirement, Martha liked to walk, work in her garden, and follow the stock market.  In October 1999, she moved to the Charlestown retirement community and from 2002 to 2006 was active in the Resident's Council and for a time served as Treasurer.  She enjoyed retirement at Charlestown, especially dining with friends in the Refectory.

Martha was the devoted wife of the late Arthur B. Stewart, Jr.; caring mother of Dennis G. Stewart (Catherine). She is preceded in death by parents Joseph and Anna (nee Nickl), brother Helmut Breu; and sisters-in-law of Mrs. Doris Aspden, Mrs. Hazel Mandot, and Mrs. Muriel Gonsoulin.
A brief viewing will be held at Our Lady of the Angels, 711 Maiden Choice Ln., Catonsville on Tuesday from 10 AM to 11 AM, where a Mass of Christian burial will begin at 11 AM. Interment to immediately follow at Meadowridge Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Martha's name to Benevolent Care Office, 719 Maiden Choice Ln., Catonsville, MD 21228.