Martha Hart was a very special person and a very close friend of mine. During Hurricane Katrina she was hospitalized in critical condition at Baptist Hospital. Following the subsequent failure of the levee system and the extensive flooding that resulted, her body was never found and was presumed lost in the flood waters.\r\n\r\nMartha Hart was very active as a volunteer at Longue Vue Gardens and helped there in any way that she could.\r\n\r\nShe was also a gourmet cook and would frequently invite friends over to share in her creative meals. I remember that she made marzipan candies and dyed and shaped them as small pieces of fruit, delighting my two small children at that time. They called her Aunt Hart.\r\n\r\nMy first marriage was ending in divorce. I received no support, including from my church which added to my pain. But Martha Hart was one of the few friends who stayed at my side.\r\n\r\nShe cared for her father up until the time of his death from emphysema. \r\n\r\nShe left no close relatives. But I did not want her to be forgotten. She was a special person and I miss her much.