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Martha Pickman Baltzell 1924 – 2022 Martha Pickman Baltzell, 98, of Haverford, PA died September 28 after a brief illness with family and friends by her side. A devout Catholic who was born into a Boston Brahmin family, she devoted many years of her life to service at the Southwest Community Enrichment Center in Philadelphia. A good friend to all who knew her, Martha was much beloved by friends and family from Philadelphia to Boston, including her six grandchildren. She was a gracious host, a good listener and frequently made people laugh with her funny quips. She once exclaimed in a discussion about the existence of God and heaven: “I just can’t wait to get there to find out what’s going on.” Martha was an inspiration to her grandchildren. “I don’t know where to start when describing my grandma and what she meant to me,” said her granddaughter Daisy Biddle Gould. “She taught us to love music and arts, make and savor good food, prioritize travel and education; she also demonstrated true faith, how to give back to communities, and finally, how to age with grace.” The fifth of six children, Martha was born in 1924 to Edward M. Pickman and Hester (Chanler) Pickman at their home in Billerica, MA. The Pickman home was filled with laughter and lively banter, punctuated by theological disputes between her agnostic father, who wrote a book tracing “The Mind of Latin Christendom,” and her Catholic mother. The English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead and other writers and poets were among the visitors in a household that valued letters and learned conversation. From her Uncle Theodore Chanler, a notable composer of his time, she first learned to play the piano, developing a lifelong love of the musical arts. She later studied classical piano under the French musician Nadia Boulanger. Martha could play Chopin and Mozart with exquisite touch right up until her final days. Martha attended the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA, later attending a private Catholic high school. Her college education was delayed first by World War II, during which she served as a nurse’s aide in Boston, and later by her marriage to David Scull Biddle of Philadelphia. Throughout her years as a young adult, a higher calling tugged at Martha’s conscience. She often wondered if she should give up her comfortable ways for a simple life of piety and service to the poor and disadvantaged. Her faith led her and a small group of Catholic friends in the late 1960s to form a monthly meeting group called the “Marthas and Marys”. They went on religious retreats, joined peace protests, studied Pope John the XXIII’s liberal Vatican II encyclicals, and invited Catholic leaders to speak, among them the activist Dorothy Day. The formation and work of the Marthas and Marys was inspired by a young Philadelphia priest, Father John McNamee of St. Malachy Parish. He in turn introduced them to Sister Anne Boniface, founder in 1969 of the Southwest Community Enrichment Center in the Kingsessing section of Philadelphia. When Martha’s first marriage ended in 1970, she found more time to explore her deeply held religious beliefs and to volunteer her time in service to the poor. In 1971, Martha began part-time volunteer work with the Southwest Community Enrichment Center, later volunteering fulltime to work with the center’s seniors. She also enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania to study anthropology, receiving her degree a few years later. In 1975, Martha married Dr. William “Pete” Baltzell, a prominent ear, nose and throat doctor and teacher at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Together they enjoyed entertaining friends and family at their gracious home in Chestnut Hill. The seemingly endless stream of guests nicknamed it the Rex Avenue Hotel. With the support of her second husband, Martha reconciled her privileged upbringing with her work in the inner city in her autobiography “Bridging Diversity: Confessions of a Yankee Catholic,” published by Sheed and Ward in 1997. Predeceased by her two husbands, David S. Biddle and William H. Baltzell IV, she lived the last 16 years of her life at the Quadrangle senior community on Darby Road in Haverford, PA. Martha is survived by her children David (Sally Hutcheson) Biddle, Christopher (Meg Winchell) Biddle and Margot (William) Milcetich; stepchildren Hewson (Sheila) Baltzell and Virginia Baltzell; six grandchildren Paul (Amy) Milcetich, Matthew (Jennie) Milcetich, Dwight (Martina) Biddle, Amy (Tim Moliterno) Biddle, Daisy Biddle (Andrew) Gould, and Gordon Biddle; step-grandchildren Gordon Baltzell and Peter Baltzell; five great grandchildren Leo and Luca Milcetich (Paul/Amy), Grayson Milcetich (Matthew/Jennie), and Arlo and Logan Biddle (Dwight/Martina), and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, November 5, at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church, 31 Pennswood Drive, in Bryn Mawr, PA. The family is especially grateful for the loving care given to Martha in the last four years of her life by Fran Tyler, Yaritza Feliciano, and the employees of Harmony Home Care. In lieu of flowers, you may send a donation to St. Malachy Catholic School, Independence Mission Schools, P.O. Box 37012, Philadelphia, PA 19122.

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Martha Pickman Baltzell

June 5, 1924 - September 28, 2022