Martha Osie Bookman

The Book Of Life EVERYONE IS WRITING A BOOK ABOUT THEIR LIFE. The “real “ author is Jesus Christ. From the beginning to the end, it is HIS book. From the first page to the last, it is life. Life as it first entered the soul, life as it grew and was fed, nourished and sustained. The recording of the life of MARTHA OSIE BOOKMAN, affectionately called “Aunt Martha” by family and by friends began on June 4, 1926, when she was the sixth child born to James Henry and Osie Venie Hursey; four brothers and two sisters preceded her in death. They were, Marvin, Charles, Milton, Doris and Helen. Martha received her education in the Baltimore City Public School System. She attended the East Street School and Dunbar School. She always expressed the importance of a good education to her family. Martha received her early religious training at the Water's A.M.E. Church. She loved the Lord. Martha had a personal relationship with God. In her last days, she asked us to pray with and for her, and we prayed together. She also asked us to read her favorite Psalm 117, and she recited it as we read. She loved Reverend Harold Carter, Sr., Pastor of the New Shiloh Baptist Church. She listened to his church service for many years, every Sunday, on the radio until she went into the hospital. As a teenager, Martha met the love of her life, Allen Ollen Bookman. He was known by many as “Buttercup”. They courted for several years and then married. Of this union they had one child, Vivien Rae. They truly loved and cherished their daughter affectionately known as “Ditty.” Martha was the matriarch of the family. When there were family problems and concerns, Martha would call up the parties with the concerns and tell them that she was on her way. At the end of the day, the problem was solved. She was in constant communication with family and friends everyday, she would talk with her daughter, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces. Like clockwork, Martha would pick up her TELEHPONE!!! She started our day with a wake-up call. She made sure that you were up and about around 5:00 or 6:00a.m. She asked about your plans for the day because she always wanted to stay in “the loop”. At the end of the work day, she would call again to find out how your day went. Then she wanted to know about your dinner plans. If you were not sure of what to cook, she offered suggestions and told you how to prepare it. Before she lost her vision, Martha was an avid reader. She read several newspapers daily. She always wanted to know what books we were currently reading and we would discuss it. Her favorite hobby was cooking. When she was able to turn around in her kitchen,she would turn out some fantastic meals from breakfast to banquets. Her expertise was vast. She cooked Indian, Spanish, Chinese, American cuisine, etc. If you wanted to know how to prepare a particular recipe, you would call “Aunt Martha”. Many times when she decided to try a new recipe, she would call (usually on a Saturday morning) her girls, her daughter, Ditty; nieces, Gloria, Clarice and Thomasine. She instructed us to put our chores aside, bring the children, and get over to her house and be prepared to spend the entire day. One such recipe was “ Chutney”. We all had to taste it and give our opinion. By the end of the day,, you would have thought we were having a family reunion. Even in her last days, she was giving advise and words of wisdom to the staff of the future Care – Northpoint Nursing facility. She had a phenomenal memory if her friends and family members wanted to know or had forgotten something about their history, their city, especially Baltimore, you could pick any community or neighborhood, she could tell you about it! Sometimes she knew more about you then you knew about yourself. Enough cannot be said about her love and devotion to her family and her friends. Until she retired in the late 1970', Martha was employed in the family household of the late Dr. John C. Home, the former Dean of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene, and his wife, the late Amelia Hume. The Hume children, Jack, Susan and William often referred to Martha as their second mother. The Hume family loved and embraced Martha and her family as a part of their own family. Martha was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Allen. She leaves to cherish the memories of her love and devotion: a daughter, Vivien Rae Lee and her daughter devoted life partner, Mathew W. Dogan, III; three grandsons, Craig Anthony Lee, Carlton Avery Lee and Christopher Allen Lee; one great-daughter-in-law, Tonya Denise Lee; five great-grandchildren, Brittney Nicole Lee, Bryant Allen Lee, Caira Ayanha Lee, Chailin Achai Lee and Jordan Sheri Banks-Lee; three great-great grandchildren, Darrell Allen Davis, Maleia Nicole Davis and Caleb Elijah Davis; two brothers-in-law, Sidney Eugene Hicks and Jerome Hicks; two nephews, Michael Early Walker and Michael Waring Edwards, one nephew preceded her in death, Gerald Donald Walker , three nieces, Gloria Jean Howard (Norvin George Howard) , Clarice Maxine Day ( William Edgar Day) and Martha Thomasine Jordan (James Jordan) first cousins, Edwina B. Love and Thomas Bratcher of Washington,D.C. In recent years, she and her second cousin, Tannis Carroll of Washington D.C. Had founded like sisters, and they talked on the telephone very often into the wee hours of the morning. Occasionally, Tannis would come tp Baltimore and spend a week or more with her. They cooked, they ate and talked about family and the good old times. Also, she leaves to cherish her memory a life-long friend, Mrs Elenora Hill and her loving family. They were close friends since their teens sharing many experiences raising their girls, Elenora's two daughters, Shirley and Janice; and Martha's daughter, Vivien (Ditty Girl). She had four great-nephews, nine great-great-nephews, one preceding her in death, Tyrone Aaron Jackson; seven great-nieces and six great-great-nieces and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Martha Osie Bookman

June 4, 1926 - May 1, 2011