Martha Stoneham

''"Charles! What are you doing here?" - ''Martha speaking the show's first line.

Martha Stoneham was the mother of Maggie Banks on the daytime television soap opera Times of Passion. Her death fueled the beginning of the show's plot, with Maggie returning to Port Winston to investigate.

Only appearing in the prologue of the pilot episode and the epilogue of the series finale, Martha holds the distinction of being both the first and the last character to appear on the show, as well as the first character to die.

Prior to the show
A native of Port Winston, Martha got married at a young age to Teddy Stoneham and had two daughters, Maggie and Doris. While Teddy worked in the Henderson vineyards, Martha stayed at home as a housewife. Teddy soon became a heavy drinker and lost his job, leading Martha to take up a job as secretary for Charles E. Henderson. When Maggie told her mother that Ted had been sexually abusing her and her sister, she refused to believe her, something Maggie never forgave her. Maggie eventually eloped with Ryan Banks and abandoned all contact with her family. Ted continued abusing Doris and hitting both her and Martha. When Charles Henderson noticed, he confronted Ted and killed him in the ensuing altercation. Charles continued to employ Martha and the two remained friends.

Around 1980, Martha was approached by Vivienne Henderson and Bernie Cooper, who wanted to buy Martha's house in order to build a holiday resort on the spot. When Martha refused, they arranged a destruction of the house with Doris' consent. When Charles learned of their plans, he drove to Martha's house to warn her. A panicked Bernie Cooper then set the house on fire, killing both Charles and Martha.

1980s
Martha's only on-screen appearance is in the show's prologue, where she is visited by Charles Henderson and eventually dies in the fire set by Bernie Cooper.

With Maggie investigating Martha's death, her character appeared in several flashbacks of her interacting with other Port Winston residents. She was often mentioned by Maggie and later by Alexa, who contemplated naming her first daughter Martha, but ultimately decided for Victoria.