Dear Lynn and Pat, I was sorry to hear of Professor Martin's homegoing. He meant a lot to me. I enjoyed so much staying at his house in South Port in 1991. It was one of the highlights of my life. He taught me how to be clear, how to be memorable, how to be entertaining, and how to be humble when I write. I owe him much of my success in academics and in life in general. I miss him and look forward to seeing him again some day, God willing. As ever, Isaac (Canales)
Ralph Martin's memory and many scholarly publications will live on. He was one of the primary reasons why I wanted to become APU faculty. We are going to miss you, Ralph!
Dr. Martin was in inspiration to me. His wise and always kind words as a professor will long be remembered by me and so many others. ~ Sheila L. Reeder
Our grandfather was a well-known theologian, and yet to us, he was simply our Grandpa.
The grandpa who played “hide the thimble” with us as children, and seemed to have the hardest, yet most obvious hiding places! The Grandpa who loved soccer, enjoyed kicking the ball in the backyard, and encouraged us from the sidelines of our games. The grandpa who walked us to the local drug store to buy ice cream, and loved to stop for tea and refreshments. We remembered how he loved to vacation and generously took our families with him on many trips. Grandpa always had the latest and greatest in electronics and gadgets, yet he rarely could figure out how to use them! We loved to hear him laugh and always knew that he enjoyed our company.
But above all of these memories, we are thankful to have had a grandpa who had a strong faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ. By exemplifying his love of Christ to his family, we have had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home where we have experienced Christ’s love. We will miss our grandpa and we will hold onto the fond memories we have until we meet again, in Heaven.
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5
We love you Grandpa!
Sarah, Michelle, Philip, Mark, Allison, Kristin, and Nathan
Some people knew him as their pastor, some as a teacher and preacher. Many knew him as a world-renowned biblical scholar, but we knew him as Dad.
Over the days that we visited Dad for the last time, so many memories flooded our minds. Our lives have been full, and there were so many family events to look back on. But most of the reminiscing was about the Dad of our childhood. The Dad who devised treasure hunts for us on Sunday evenings, who played badminton and bowls with us in the garden. The Dad who loved Perry Mason and Top Cat, and the Dad whose study we rarely entered but often wondered what could be so interesting in all those books! The Dad who wrote his papers and manuscripts hunting and pecking with two fingers on an old black typewriter, and who never learned to type. The Dad who always called us by our full names, Patricia and Elizabeth, never using the shortened versions. And then there was Dad's annoying habit of taking an apple to eat at the movies, which often made us wish we weren't sitting next to him.
But our most important memory is being raised in a godly home where Christ was loved. Contrary to what some of our friends thought, Dad did not constantly quote scripture to us; he gave us a quiet, clear example of living a God-centered life. We have a clear memory of the prominently placed wall plaque in our home that read:
Christ is the Head of this house, The unseen guest at every meal, The silent listener to every conversation.
This was the way Dad lived his life and led his family. To us this is Dad's greatest accomplishment. Many memories continue as we grew older and began our own families, but somehow these early memories seem so special and poignant. Dad laid the foundation of a family that loved God, and this has continued on through us, through his grandchildren, and on to his great-grandchildren.
Thank you Dad for this legacy, and thank you for giving us these memories. Thank you for all the wonderful things you accomplished in your life, but thank you most of all for being our Dad.
Light a Candle
Comments
Our grandfather was a well-known theologian, and yet to us, he was simply our Grandpa.
The grandpa who played “hide the thimble” with us as children, and seemed to have the hardest, yet most obvious hiding places! The Grandpa who loved soccer, enjoyed kicking the ball in the backyard, and encouraged us from the sidelines of our games. The grandpa who walked us to the local drug store to buy ice cream, and loved to stop for tea and refreshments. We remembered how he loved to vacation and generously took our families with him on many trips. Grandpa always had the latest and greatest in electronics and gadgets, yet he rarely could figure out how to use them! We loved to hear him laugh and always knew that he enjoyed our company.
But above all of these memories, we are thankful to have had a grandpa who had a strong faith in our Lord, Jesus Christ. By exemplifying his love of Christ to his family, we have had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home where we have experienced Christ’s love. We will miss our grandpa and we will hold onto the fond memories we have until we meet again, in Heaven.
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:5
We love you Grandpa!
Sarah, Michelle, Philip, Mark, Allison, Kristin, and Nathan
Some people knew him as their pastor, some as a teacher and preacher. Many knew him as a world-renowned biblical scholar, but we knew him as Dad.
Over the days that we visited Dad for the last time, so many memories flooded our minds. Our lives have been full, and there were so many family events to look back on. But most of the reminiscing was about the Dad of our childhood. The Dad who devised treasure hunts for us on Sunday evenings, who played badminton and bowls with us in the garden. The Dad who loved Perry Mason and Top Cat, and the Dad whose study we rarely entered but often wondered what could be so interesting in all those books! The Dad who wrote his papers and manuscripts hunting and pecking with two fingers on an old black typewriter, and who never learned to type. The Dad who always called us by our full names, Patricia and Elizabeth, never using the shortened versions. And then there was Dad's annoying habit of taking an apple to eat at the movies, which often made us wish we weren't sitting next to him.
But our most important memory is being raised in a godly home where Christ was loved. Contrary to what some of our friends thought, Dad did not constantly quote scripture to us; he gave us a quiet, clear example of living a God-centered life. We have a clear memory of the prominently placed wall plaque in our home that read:
Christ is the Head of this house,
The unseen guest at every meal,
The silent listener to every conversation.
This was the way Dad lived his life and led his family. To us this is Dad's greatest accomplishment. Many memories continue as we grew older and began our own families, but somehow these early memories seem so special and poignant. Dad laid the foundation of a family that loved God, and this has continued on through us, through his grandchildren, and on to his great-grandchil dren.
Thank you Dad for this legacy, and thank you for giving us these memories. Thank you for all the wonderful things you accomplished in your life, but thank you most of all for being our Dad.
We love you and miss you.
Patricia and Elizabeth