Martha Leota Cordray, 79

DOVER - Martha Leota Cordray, of Dover, passed away Friday, May 30, 2008, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover. She was 79.

Martha was born on March 6, 1929, in Millington, Queen Annes County, Md. She was the daughter of the late Franklin and Leota Leager of Clayton.

She married her husband, Robert Cordray in 1949 and lived in Houston, raising their two daughters, Cheryl Yvonne Cordray and Patricia Elaine Cordray.

They relocated to Dover in 1963, and Martha began working for the Acme Super Market in Dover for more than 30 years until her retirement in 1993.

Martha enjoyed the beach with her daughters as they were growing up.

She was a wonderful homemaker and cook and enjoyed the flowers and birds at her home in Dover.

Martha also traveled to North Carolina often to visit her close friends that had relocated there.

Recently, she was a resident of Heritage Assisted Living Community in Dover and had made several new friends and enjoyed the pleasant on-site staff that helped her with her needs over the past few months.

Martha was also a great "caregiver" for those that preceded her in death. They were her parents, Franklin and Leota Leager who died in 1982 and 2000 respectively; her husband, Robert Cordray who died in 1974; a brother, James Franklin Leager who died in 2002; and her daughter, Cheryl Yvonne Evans who died unexpectedly on June 9, 2007.

She is survived by her daughter, Patricia Elaine Sterling and her husband Larry of Wyoming, Del.; a son-in-law, Duane Evans of Dover ; and her brother, Roy Gene Leager of Clayton; as well as several cousins.

Services and burial will be 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Lakeside Cemetery, Dover, for family and friends.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests a memorial contribution be sent to the Kent County SPCA, 32 Shelter Circle, Camden, DE 19934.