Martha (Marta) Adriana Mele, age 84, of Fort Washington, passed away peacefully on May 2lst, 2025. She was born on December 3, 1940, in Motta Santa Lucia, a province of Catanzaro, Italy, to Maria and Giovanni Villella. At a young age, Martha made the courageous decision to leave her home in Italy and immigrate to America with her family. Once here, she found work and helped to support her parents, Maria and Giovanni, as well as her sister, Giovanna, and brother, Anthony, in a foreign country. Her determination, work ethic, and love for her family were evident from the start, and these qualities would define the rest of her life. Soon after marrying her beloved husband, the late Salvatore (Sam) Mele, Martha became a proud citizen of the United States. She embraced her new country with love and gratitude, cherishing the opportunities it provided. Her American journey was a testament to her resilience and deep appreciation for the possibilities she had found in her new home.

Together with Salvatore (Sam), Martha built a life full of love, family, and cherished memories, including the founding of Sam's Italian Market, a family business that became a staple in the community. Martha's hard work, dedication, and spirit helped build and sustain the business, and her legacy lives on through its success.

Martha's greatest joy was being a mother. She treasured every moment with her four children, Adam Mele(Kim), Joanne Mele Kraft(Steve), Rita Mele Plotnick(Stuart), and Dino Mele(Valerie), and her seven grandchildren, Christopher Mele, Joseph Mele, John Mele, Samantha Kraft, Michael Kraft, Olivia Mele, and Amelia Mele, whom she loved deeply. Her family was her world, and she poured her heart into nurturing them with the same love and strength she had known growing up in Italy. When Martha's husband became ill her devotion to the Blessed Mary helped her care for him until his death.

Her strength, kindness, and devotion to her family were matched only by her passion for sharing her Italian heritage—whether through her cooking, her stories, or the lessons she passed down to the next generation. Martha's legacy of love, devotion to God, family, and tradition will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.

In addition to her children and grandchildren, Martha is survived by her sister Giovanna(Joanne) Alcaro (Anthony), Anthony Villella (late Elena). Additional survivors include her late brother in law Anthony Mele (late Maria), her brother in law Michael Mele, her brother in law Mario Mele (Carolyn), her sister in law Ann Wiser (Tom). Her beloved Nieces and Nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her viewing on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from 10:00 am. to 11:30 am., followed by her Funeral Mass at 11:30 am., at St. Alphonsus Church, 1567 Temple Drive, Maple Glen, PA  19002. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name, to the Alzheimer's Association, 399 Market St., Suite 250, Phila, PA  19106. www.alz.org