Fred Martin, Sr.

After six decades of faithful service to his Savior, Lord, Creator, and Friend, Jesus Christ, Reverend Fred W. Martin is finally home. He was born in Wayne, MI, August 12, 1946, to Harold and Nellie Martin. Soon after his birth, Fred’s family moved to Costa Mesa, CA, with their six children where his dad was a commercial tuna fisherman out of Newport Beach. Before long the family would have seven children and a full and busy household. Fred loved his Costa Mesa “Back Bay” life growing up in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, enjoying scavenging in the bay and body surfing at the Wedge in Newport Beach, working the Orange County Fair, Balboa Fun Zone, and camp in the summers. He attended Costa Mesa High and Corona del Mar High School. A foot injury kept him from running track, so instead he became a cheerleader/yell king. As a very little boy he attended VBS at Central Bible Church in Costa Mesa and never stopped attending that church throughout his school years. The church loved the little boy from a poor family who would walk (sometimes barefooted) quite a distance to be the first one to church on Sundays and was referred to as “the greeter” throughout his childhood. He recalled to his wife Becky that spending the night at one of those family’s homes at the age of 12 was the first time he ever slept on a set of sheets. Many years later several of those families would relate to Becky how they had a hard time getting him to leave and go home after youth group or parties at their homes. His brothers Hal and Olen joined him and all became active in their junior high and high school youth groups. The families in his home church who took him under their spiritual wings remained lifelong friends and he officiated at the funerals of many of those dear friends. It was at the age of 12 that Fred realized that God was calling him to a life of service to the Lord. One day he asked his beloved youth pastor, George Pontius, “Do you think God could use a tall, skinny kid like me?” George encouraged his calling and at one point in college, Fred considered joining George as a missionary to Japan. This past October Fred flew to Spokane to spend a couple of days with George and his wife Marilyn knowing that one day soon he would be saying goodbye to these special servants of God, and he wanted them to know how important they were in his faith journey. Fred was a gifted singer and choir director, and, following graduation from high school, he attended Orange Coast Community College for two years. It was at OCCC that he finished his course in choral directing, a gift he used during his college ministry years and as Youth and Music Pastor in his first 25 years of church ministries. It was during those junior college years that Fred was asked to join the Caravan Singers under the direction of Mary Jean and Dean Brown, and was pictured on the cover of several of their record albums. He stayed very close to the Browns throughout his life. Following OCCC Fred tried to get into Biola University, but, since he was putting himself through college, Biola was too expensive. Their admissions office suggested he check out their sister school, Arizona Bible College. Fred graduated with a BA in theology and Biblical Studies in 1970. He would do post graduate work at Talbot Seminary and Western Conservative Baptist Seminary during the 70s and 80s. It was at Arizona Bible College that he met a young freshman from Canoga Park, CA, named Becky Wallace. Introduced by friends Judy Parkhill and Bob Bethke, they double-dated the very next weekend and were madly in love from the very start. Fred had been a member of the “Bachelors to the Rapture” club but Becky very sincerely believed she was attending “Arizona BRIDAL College.” Needless to say, Fred dropped out of the B2R club soon after he met her. Judy and Bob married one year later and their family lives and ministries paralleled each other’s, and they have remained dearest friends for life. In July 1970 Becky and Fred were married at Christ Community Church in Canoga Park, CA. Throughout their 48+ year marriage, Fred practiced the art of loving Becky lavishly and unconditionally. Until the very end, he doted on his “sweetness personified” with tenacious devotion & affection. He began his first ministry at Rocky Mountain Baptist Church in Arvada, CO., as Youth and Music Pastor right after their honeymoon. Their firstborn, Fred Martin Jr., was born in Colorado in September of 1971. Soon after Freddy’s arrival Fred was invited to candidate at his home church, Central Bible Church in Costa Mesa. He was so proud of his brand new baby boy that he took the newborn on the plane to meet his Aunt Judi and maternal grandparents, leaving Becky behind in Colorado. To this day Becky can’t believe she let him talk her into that! They moved to Costa Mesa where he served as Youth and Music Pastor there in his home church in January 1972. In 1974 Fred was called to serve as Youth and Music Pastor at Mapleview Baptist Church in Lakeside, CA. Son Isaac was born in 1975 and daughter Annie followed in 1977. When Annie was a baby, a search committee came from Sunkist Baptist Church in Anaheim, CA, to listen to Fred preach a sermon. He accepted the call to serve the Lord at Sunkist, which Fred called, “the church with appeal.” There he served in various pastoral capacities: Youth and Music, Family, and Associate Pastor. The church opened their arms to Pastor Fred and his young family, and deep and abiding friendships and relationships built there continue to this day. In 1985, Fred was asked to candidate for the position of Senior Pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Hillsboro, OR. The young family pulled up roots and moved to Oregon where Fred served as Pastor until 1993. In Oregon, he developed many close friendships, and he began to pursue his lifelong dream of hospital chaplaincy. Upon being certified with Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association (HCMA), the first hospital that opened up to Fred was Kaiser Medical Center in Woodland Hills, CA, just four miles from where Becky grew up. Her parents still lived in her childhood home. With both sons having graduated from high school, Fred and Becky and Annie left the lush green vistas and valleys of beautiful Oregon and headed to the heavily populated San Fernando Valley. From the start of Fred’s HCMA ministry at Kaiser, he knew he was in the right place at the right time. That same year the Church at Rocky Peak in Chatsworth, CA invited Fred to serve as a part time Care Pastor. This supplemented his Kaiser stipend and was a perfect fit for church ministry as well as the chaplaincy. Both ministries took Fred to every hospital in the LA region and beyond, and as a result he would conduct hundreds upon hundreds of funeral services and weddings over the next 23 years. While serving the Lord at Kaiser, Fred was an integral part of the volunteer services department and the palliative, hospice, and Bio-Ethics committees. At the Church at Rocky Peak Fred taught baptism classes and multiple adult Sunday school classes. He oversaw the Prayer Corner during all three services each weekend. The most impactful portion of his ministry there was the Grief Share program that he led for many years and the various cancer support groups he led. As pastor and chaplain, Fred presided at bedsides, gravesides, baptisms, and births for thousands of families throughout his career, and his kind, gentle words brought peace, comfort, and laughter when it was needed most. He was known for his pleasant, calm demeanor and his His family pictures him today in a new body in a new place but with the same joyous spirit that led him to be nicknamed “The Encourager.” During those “Kaiser/Church at Rocky Peak years”, all three of Fred’s children were married and began to present Fred with the pride and joys of his life, his nine grandchildren. Each of his grandchildren were dedicated to the Lord by their grandpa and he cried through each of these ceremonies. Fred had a lifelong love of poetry, rhymes, limericks, and ditties. Each of his kids and grandkids and daughters-in-law and many extended family members were the recipients of poems written just for them over the years. In 2014 Fred had a devastating car accident and sustained a spinal cord injury that took a tremendous toll on his stamina that lasted the rest of his life. He couldn’t be held down though and rejoiced loudly and proudly when he was able to walk again. “I’m an upstanding citizen!” could be heard echoing through the halls of Kaiser Hospital when he returned to work five months later. At the end of 2016, Fred retired from Kaiser Hospital, and he and Becky began to prepare for retirement in Idaho, where every visitor was the recipient of Ida-hugs, Ida-treats, Ida-news, Ida-knows, and much more. Fred took on his new State with wonder and enthusiasm and pored over the newspapers each day to find new and exciting places to see and events to attend. Fred and Becky found a wonderful church in Meridian, Ambassador Bible Church, a church planted by The Bridge Bible Fellowship in Reseda, CA. New friendships were formed, and Fred and Becky looked forward to years of fellowship in their new home and church. In December Fred fell ill and fought an amazing battle to survive. Throughout his month-long illness he witnessed for the Lord and cared for and loved on the hospital staff who were caring for him. He strongly desired to be an instrument of God’s grace during that time and while he longed for Heaven, he cared that Becky would be left alone. In the evening on January 17, Fred breathed his last. He leaves a family and spiritual legacy that will live on throughout eternity. Fred was preceded in death by his parents and four of his six siblings: brother Olen of Westminster, CA; sister Gay Wright of Willis, Texas; brother John of Burney, CA; and sister Jeanne Martin of Riverside, CA. He was also preceded in death by two nephews: Andy Wallace of Canoga Park, CA and Tommy Wright of Texas; and mother and father in law, Tom and Amanda Wallace of Canoga Park, CA. Fred is survived by his brothers Barney and Hal; his wife Becky; his son Fred Jr, and wife Charif; his son Isaac and wife Katie; his daughter Annie Duffield and husband Dave; grandchildren Penny (PJ), Daniel (Mr. McGoo), Jonathan (Mr. McGee), Sophia (Sophisticated Sophia), Emily (Grandpa’s Sweetheart), Jolie (Jolly Jolie), Garrett (Mr. McGarrett), Tess (Tess the Serene), and Everett (Mr. McEverett); and multiple nieces and nephews and extended family. If Becky was his truest love, his children's children were his truest joy. With seven grandkids in Alaska, he visited the Last Frontier frequently & was often heard to say, “Alaska is my happy place.” Fred’s life verse is found in Philippians 1:20 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ, shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.”