Martha (Filkas) Bartolotti

Martha M. Bartolotti passed away in the early morning hours, Monday August 29, 2022, in Plano, Texas at the age of 81.

Martha was born in Des Moines, Iowa on September 27, 1940. She was the eldest of five children. At the age of nine, Martha and her siblings were adopted out due to her parents being unable to properly provide for them. Martha was brought to Los Angeles, California where her adoptive parents enrolled her in school and provided her with piano and opera lessons. Throughout her youth and into adulthood, Martha performed in local plays singing and acting as well as playing the piano. After 75 years of separation, Martha met her youngest sister for the first time. Two of her siblings had already passed, however, two of her sisters are still living. So on May 17, 2022, Martha traveled to Texarkana, Arkansas and met with her two remaining sisters. It was a family reunion that was filled with tears of joy, memories and life stories.

Martha was an angel who walked amongst us. She had been married while raising five amazing children and was well loved by all who knew her. Martha was the most loving, compassionate and self sacrificing lady who unconditionally shared it with everyone she met along her journey here on earth. Martha was mom to many of her children’s friends who came to her for advice and comfort during their times of need. She was gentle and honest and helped to guide them along their life’s path.

She was a recovering alcoholic who just recently celebrated 35 years of sobriety. During her time with Alcoholics Anonymous, she sponsored many women who were struggling to stay clean and sober. To this day, many attribute their continued sobriety to her love and support over those many years.

Martha loved being a Catholic and embraced our Lord with all of her heart and soul throughout her life and up to her last moments here with us. She prayed the rosary every day and had been watching a Catholic channel (EWTN) while living in Texas. This was the way she spent her mornings and her late evenings watching the EWTN channel. She discovered a Catholic series that she watched all the time that was about a nun belonging to the order of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. This nun was named Mother Angelica and she was quite a character. Martha enjoyed this show a great deal and laughed a lot. While in the hospital, Martha received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, Commendation of the dying (Last Rites), and she received the Eucharist of Christ for which she was most grateful.

Martha is now with our Lord and is finally able to sing with her beautiful operatic voice with all of the angels in Heaven.

She is tremendously missed by all who knew her.