Marta "Mott" Rae Rethmeyer Soper passed away on January 17, 2026, at the age of 91, in Vienna, Virginia where she had lived for the last five years. She was born on June 1, 1934, in Richmond, Indiana, graduating from Richmond Senior High School in 1952. She attended one year of college at Indiana University and one year at Purdue University. She is preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Charles Soper, and two children, Susan Elaine Soper Doddridge and Robert Alan Soper.

After marrying in 1956, Marta and Jerry moved frequently with his U.S. Navy assignments and early jobs, including to Pensacola, Florida; Richmond, Indiana; Clinton, Iowa; Waukegan, Illinois; and Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia. With his new job at Kennedy Space Center, they settled in Merritt Island, Florida, in 1963 with their four young children. Marta nurtured the children, playing card and board games with them and their friends, serving as a Girl Scout cookie mom, supporting their various interests and hobbies, and taking them to the beach as often as possible. She learned to sew and created many outfits for the girls, teaching them to sew as well. When the children were older, she sold Avon door-to-door and played the organ at Merritt Island Presbyterian Church. She attended Brevard Community College with a major in music. Marta and Jerry were charter members and active in the church, including singing in the choir and administering the church bowling league. They enjoyed bridge and dinner parties and had a wide circle of friends from their church.

In 1978, the family moved to Columbia, Maryland, with Jerry's job transfer. Marta and Jerry attended Christ Memorial Presbyterian Church, again singing in the choir and participating in their bowling league.  Marta studied to become a nurse and worked in a prison and a nursing home after receiving her degree. She volunteered as a hospital chaplain, was a Stephen Minister, and she and Jerry were foster parents. For several years, the growing Doddridge family lived in a townhouse next door, and she helped immensely with the children. She loved to read to them, sing songs, and taught them how to play the NES. (She loved Mario and Tetris!) Family and friends all enjoyed visiting "Marta's Mart" in her townhouse basement to stock up on food.

Jerry and Marta followed the Doddridge family to Yorktown, Virginia, where they lived a short walking distance away (from 2008-2016). They sang in the choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and with a community group in nursing homes. After Jerry retired in 1994, they spent winters in Tampa, Florida, with the Ross family. They also enjoyed memorable trips to Switzerland with the Nutter family and to Australia with the Doddridge family. Marta and Jerry's 50th anniversary was celebrated in Hawaii with all of their family in attendance.

She loved puzzles, memorizing (such as countries of the world and names of the royal family) and word games (like Boggle and Scrabble). She wrote down funny things the young children said and quoted them for years and years. She kept family history going back for generations, including genealogy records, photographs, scrapbooks, documents, newspaper clippings, letters and cards.

Marta is survived by two daughters: Cindy (Dave Thaggard) Ross and Kathy (Tom) Nutter; eight grandchildren: Charlie (Annie) Soper, Katy (Tim Thannisch) Ross, Dana Soper, Barrett Ross, Chris Soper, Derek (Bokyung) Doddridge, Juliana Doddridge, and Matthew Doddridge; five great-children: Ellie, Scott, and Evan Soper, Summer Thannisch and Ewan Doddridge; niece Alexandra (Burt) Scopeletis; daughter-in-law Sue Soper; and sons-in-law Bruce (Debra) Doddridge and Jeff Ross.

A Celebration of Life at the home Marta shared with Cindy, Dave, Katy, Tim and Summer in Vienna, Virginia was held on February 15, 2026.

Interment of both Marta's and Jerry's ashes at Earlham Cemetery in Richmond, Indiana will be on June 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM, with Stegall Berheide Orr Funeral Service assisting at the Memorial Mausoleum.