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Martha Roman Solés, born in Havana, Cuba on June 1, 1928, and a resident of Suffolk, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 17 at the beautiful age of 92.

She was a beloved mother to Martha Vivian Maurno and Daniel Joseph Soles, wife to the late Jose Antonio Solés, grandmother to Abigail Sarah and Charlotte Olivia Maurno, and mother-in-law to Steven Joseph Maurno. Our family has so many touching, special, and funny memories of her that we would like to share. 

As her daughter, when I was young, I remember her joie de vivre dancing around the room to music from her homeland of Cuba and using a tin coffee can as a drum. She was my biggest cheerleader, and she always said that I could do anything I set my mind to do, and she was right. She gave everything she had in every sense to her family and helped me to be strong during tough times. Her organization and documentation of everything from vacations to weekly expenses were worthy of a bestseller. She loved to talk to everyone or anyone, especially to tell the famous “Escaping from Cuba Story” and enjoyed going into my classroom and sharing it with my students. She was beloved by so many people.

As her son, she always supported and believed in me. She instilled a curiosity about the world by telling me stories about my grandfather who was a diplomat. She always was excited to go with me to a baseball game and provided me with a lifetime of unconditional love. I always knew I had someone who supported me and was proud of my accomplishments. She was someone you always wanted to please because she was kind, devoted and put her family first. She also always wanted to challenge herself. Even well into her eighties, she found great enjoyment in doing crossword puzzles and word searches every night. Mama had the biggest heart and lived her life to serve others. 

As her granddaughters, we remember her sneaking up behind us to dry our wet hair to avoid potential illness. Wearing a jacket in cooler weather even in Georgia was always a prerequisite, and running out jacket-free to check their mail was a major “no-go.” Bare feet for playing in the yard no matter the weather wouldn’t fly either and we didn’t want to upset her, so shoes were a staple always. During meal and snack times, she wanted to wait on us and would never allow us to get our drinks or cut our own pieces of Entenmann’s pound cake. She would always turn the lamp on next to us when we were reading to make sure we would not hurt our eyes. She sewed our holey clothes, untangled our necklaces, and kept every creation we ever made her, in a very organized fashion of course. Mama kept a box of toys and collectibles in front of our beds in our designated Savannah bedroom, and we could not wait to see what she had thought of putting in the box this time. Rounds of Old Maid were sacred times, and she would close the door to our room so we could play without interruption. Whether we needed care when we were sick, an audience for a dance recital or softball game, or some fun and attention, she was always there and an amazing mama to us.

As her son-in-law, I met her in 1990. When Martha and I went to tell her we were getting married, she would talk and talk and talk until we spit it out, evading all our hints. She was thrilled and treated me as her “son” always. She served coffee and Entenmann’s cakes at every visit and talked for hours. She made sure we were welcome in her home and said this was “our home in Savannah.” She was always there for all of us.

This is just a snapshot of a remarkable woman who will be loved and remembered forever and missed beyond measure.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer Foundation of America, alzfdn.org, would be greatly appreciated. R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family. Condolences may be registered at www.RWBakerFH.com.