Martha Rose Skelly

Martha Rose (Schmidt) Skelly passed away quietly on March 2, 2022. She was born in Chattanooga, TN, on November 2, 1946. She was preceded in death by her parents, George E. Schmidt, Sr. and Maude Goodman Schmidt, and her brother, Monsignor George E. Schmidt, Jr. She is survived by her brother, Dr. W. Warren (Diane) Schmidt, her husband, Colonel (Retired) Lawrence E. Skelly II, her sons, Colonel Lawrence E. (Eileen) Skelly III and William M. (Stacy) Skelly, and her grandchildren Lee, Catherine, Shannon, Brennan, Liam and Owen Skelly.

Martha received her early education at Notre Dame Elementary School at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Chattanooga. She graduated from Notre Dame High School with the Class of 1964. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education at the University of Chattanooga, graduating with the Class of 1968. While at the University of Chattanooga she was a member of the Beta Beta Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, serving as the chapter president her senior year. After graduation, she taught elementary education classes in the states of Georgia, Washington, and in Chattanooga, TN.

Martha married then Army Lieutenant Skelly on June 21, 1969. Together, they served the Nation for the next 27 years in locations in the United States, Europe and South Korea. After her husband’s military retirement at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, the couple remained in Northern Virginia until 2019, when they returned to their hometown, Chattanooga. During her service as an Army spouse, she actively supported Army families at every posting and mentored other spouses during periods of military deployments by their service members. After leaving the military environment, she was active in parish work in her Catholic community in Northern Virginia until she returned to Chattanooga. In Chattanooga, she joined the Serra Club of Greater Chattanooga and returned to her alumni activities with her sisters in Alpha Delta Pi.

Funeral arrangements are by Chattanooga Funeral Home, East Brainerd Chapel, 8214 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, TN. The family will receive visitors on Sunday, March 13, 2022, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the East Brainerd Chapel. A Mass Celebrating Martha’s life will be held at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 214 East Eighth Street, Chattanooga, TN, at 12:00 P.M. Eastern, Monday, March 14, 2022. Internment will immediately follow the Mass at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery, 1 Mount Olivet Drive, East Ridge, TN. A Celebration of Martha’s life will be held in Varallo Hall in the basement of the Basilica beginning immediately after the Mass for those not wishing to attend the internment service.

In lieu of flowers, the family request you consider a tax-deductible donation to the Georgetown University Medical Center, Neurology Department, Huntington Care, Education and Research Center, Dr. Karen E. Anderson, MD, Pasquerilla Healthcare Center, 3800 Reservoir Road, N.W., Washington, DC 20007, in Martha’s name.