Mrs. Martha Marie Chance

In Loving memory of Martha M. Chance Martha Marie Chance passed away on June 9th at the age of 81. She was born on July 22, 1935 in Macon, GA, a small town south of Atlanta, GA, to James & Ella Mae McLeroy. Martha was the last daughter of 5 girls. Due to losing both her parents at the age of eleven, she was sent to live with Aunt Blanche & Uncle Herbert in Cleveland, Ohio. She is preceded in death by her eldest son, Lamar Chance, daughters, Yvonne Chance, Yvette Chance and Victoria Chance. Martha is survived by her husband, James Chance, daughters, Barbara A. Grant (Art), Connie Board, Pamela Chance and son, Dennis Chance; Grandchildren, JaNa’ Choe, Adrianne Chance, Mario Board, Alex Robinson, Banden Stewart, Brian Chance, Reba Wiley, Tameka Wiley and Little Lamar Wiley, Antoinette Wiley, Ray Shaun Wiley and great grandchildren. She will also be dearly missed by her special life-long friend, Mildred Hooks. In Cleveland, Martha lived in the same neighborhood as her future husband James who at the time was about 13 years old. He was visiting one of his cousins as he actually resided in Kentucky at the time. Martha must have caught James’ attention because about six years later on his return to Kentucky State University, he detoured and swept Martha off her feet. They married December 21, 1953. When he brought her back to Kentucky, his mother asked him whose child had he kidnapped because she looked so young. They started a family right away. Lamar 1953, Bobbi 1954, Connie 1955, Vicky 1956, Dennis 1959, and Pam 1966. James and Martha were not messing around; Lamar & Bobbi were the same age for 2 weeks. Bobbi & Connie were the same age for several days. Martha was an outstanding, loving, kind mother who truly loved her children and grandchildren. She was known for her awesome soul food dishes. From barbecue ribs to turkey and dressing, sweet potato pies, lemon pie, German chocolate cake, and I could go on! James and Martha just celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on December 21, 2016. Oh how she will be missed! So, to lose a loved one is like losing a piece of yourself…but the love Martha brought us has not left us, the essence of her will linger…it can’t escape our hearts because it’s been there so long. We must cling to the memories and let them heal our broken hearts. No matter how long or how short, we were blesses to have such a precious gift in our lives.

Mrs. Martha Marie Chance

July 22, 1935 - June 9, 2017