Sgt. Martha Elizabeth Bellamy
July 2, 1929 – April 14, 2026
A TIME TO BE BORN
Sister Martha Elizabeth Bellamy was born on July 2, 1929 in Lafayette, Georgia to the late John D. and Lizzy Richardson Davis. It was there, in the loving Christian home that Sister Bellamy learned important life lessons-to love God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
A TIME TO GAIN
Sister Bellamy attended school in Lafayette Georgia. She was a smart little girl with the help of her parents and her beloved grandfather, Henry Clay Richardson, who would have her sit on a stool next to him each day and study her ABCs and the Bible. He even built her a playhouse big enough for her to rent out to a grown man. After finishing school, she had a wealth of knowledge and a hard-working spirit that blessed her all of her life.
A TIME TO CHANGE
Sister Bellamy joined the military at age 22. The first Black woman to join the army in her little hometown. It wasn’t easy. Jim Crow was rampant throughout the South. She said she just had to deal with it. Boot camp training for her was in Virginia. Then she was sent to Women’s Army Corps Center at Fort McClellan in Alabama to assist with the opening. She received special training in the army’s baking school and transitioned to several army bases throughout the South, where she ran the mess halls at each of them.
A TIME TO EMBRACE
She continued her military career for “six years, six months and16 days” until she married her husband, Master Sergeant Abram Bellamy, in 1955. They adopted a son, Eric D. Bellamy. They were married for 30 years before divorcing.
A TIME TO MOVE ON
After vocational school for dressmaking and tailoring, she started a business. In addition, at night she cooked food for all kinds of parties. She enjoyed her work. Eventually, arthritis caught up with her, she decided to move to St. Petersburg in 1996 for the warmer weather.
Sister Bellamy attended First Missionary Baptist Church and Bethel Metropolitan Church prior to joining Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
A TIME TO DEPART AND MOURN
In the early morning, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the North Rehabilitation Center Sister Martha Bellamy answered the call from her Heavenly Father and transitioned from her earthly tabernacle to rest in the arms of her Savior.
Sister Bellamy’s parents, her grandfather, her baby sister and her sixteen-year-old brother all preceded her in death.
She leaves behind her son Eric D. Bellamy.
She also leaves nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews.
Sister-in-Law, Eloise Bellamy.
Friends, God Children, Care Givers- Renee Waymon, Darren Hammond, Georgia Thomas – devoted care givers, (she affectionately called us her Children and/or her God Children).
Friends in St. Petersburg, Winter Haven, Bartow, Lafayette, Tallahassee, and Atlanta.
Services will be held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3300 31st Street S, St. Petersburg, FL – Visitation from 10:00-11:00 AM – Service at 11:00 AM with Pastor John A. Evans presiding on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Sister Bellamy will be laid to rest at Sarasota National Cemetery on Monday, April 27, 2026 at 1:00 PM.
