Martha Darling

Martha Jane Valorn Darling
August 31, 1930-July 14, 2024

Martha Valorn Darling of 4906 Route 88, Sodus, NY and 4125 Route 14, Rock Stream, NY died Sunday, July 14, 2024 at home at her cottage in Rock Stream on Seneca Lake where she spent more than 65 years water-skiing, sailing, fishing, swimming, and boating. She was 93. 

Born on August 31, 1930 in Sodus, NY, daughter of John Raymond Valorn and Inez Belle Collier Valorn. Martha, known by her husband as “Marty”, was an area resident of Sodus, NY for most of her life and an area resident of Rock Stream near Watkins Glen where she spent her summers for her entire life. She graduated Valedictorian of her class at Sodus Central High School and then attended and graduated from U of R (University of Rochester.) She married Charles Franklin Darling on September 19, 1953 and they were married for almost 70 years. It was rare to find the two apart. Martha was a lifelong member of the AMCA (Antique Motorcycle Club of America) and the EMPIRE Chapter. She was a member of the First Reformed Church in Sodus, NY. Mrs. Darling was a dedicated educator, serving on the Sodus Central School Board of Education for almost 25 years, as well as the Scholarship Committee. She was a motorcycle enthusiast, and both she and Charles still have motorcycles on loan displayed at the Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY. Martha was an avid gardener and if she wasn’t sailing or watching boats and birds on Seneca Lake, you could find her out in the garden, reading a paper, or involved in one of the 100s of jigsaw puzzles she enjoyed greatly. Her family was everything to her and her entire life, even into her 80s, you could see her at her children’s and grandchildren’s soccer games, running events, volleyball, basketball, boy scouts, etc. Martha was predeceased by her husband, Charles, of almost 70 years. She is survived by two children, Edward J. Darling and his wife Susan of North Rose, NY, Julie Ann Darling Sissel and her husband, Mark of Rock Stream, NY; and three grandchildren, Jonah, Isaiah, and Seraphina. She recently was blessed to become a grandmother again to Mark’s son, Matthew Harmon Sissel, and his wife Seyeon. 

Martha was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, and she loved nothing more than to spend time with her family. Even the day before she went to be with her Lord, she was pointing and naming family members in a photograph collage made by her daughter-in-law, Sue. Family was her rock, and she was the rock of her family. 

Visitation will be held Saturday, July 27, 2024 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. with the funeral service immediately following from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Royce-Chedzoy Funeral Home in Watkins Glen, NY. Interment will be at Rock Stream Cemetery in Rock Stream, N.Y. at 3:15 pm after the Funeral Service. The family is having a reception with food and refreshments at the family cottage at 4256 Kent Klub Rd., Rock Stream, NY after the burial. We hope that everyone can stop and come together to celebrate, remember, and share their special memories of Martha and her life. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Martha Valorn Darling Sodus Central School Scholarship Fund or the First Reformed Church at Sodus, NY. Checks can be made out to the church, or for the scholarship to Julie Sissel or Edward Darling. 

Arrangements are by the Royce-Chedzoy Funeral Home, 212 East 4th Street, Watkins Glen, NY. Please visit their website for pictures, video, and more information at: roycechedzoy.com