Frank F. Martens passed away peacefully, with his family at his side, January 28, 2001 Our Dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather, was born on January 4, 1925, on the family farm in the R. M. of Hanover. He was the youngest son, and the second youngest child of Peter S. and Margureta Martens, in a family of 5 boys and 5 girls. Dad was baptized in the CMC Church in Grunthal, upon the confession of his faith, as a young man. (In my many conversations with him, it was clear that he had placed his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation.) On November 8, 1945, he married Tina Peters, with whom he shared 44 years of marriage. Dad and Mom bought the family farm on the Sarto Road where they raised their six children. Dad struggled with asthma from childhood on, making life as a dairy farmer difficult at times. Later in life he took up welding and fabricating with steel, which he really enjoyed and continued with as long as his health allowed him to. One of the things that Dad loved to do was to visit with friends, which often included salesmen, cattle-buyers, or anybody who happened to drop in on him. He had a good sense of humour, and enjoyed a good joke and a laugh. He was also very community minded, serving on different boards in the Grunthal Credit Union for years. Every Tuesday night was meeting night, and he would be off to town. I think the camaraderie with the other board members was something that was precious to him. Another thing that made him an asset to the local Credit Union was that he was sharp with numbers, and was not afraid to give his opinion. Dad got involved with the Menno Home for the Aged. I believe right from when it was built. He also was involved with the MCC and the MDS. In 1978 our parents sold their farm and bought a house out in the country, where Mom gardened and Dad welded, until Mom died in December of 1989. Dad took her death very hard, and he struggled with it for some time. He felt very alone when Mom passed away. After this Dad got busy and tended a big garden, giving most of the produce away to anyone who wanted it, which seemed to be a blessing for him. He passed time doing his own canning and cooking. In January of 1996, Dad decided that he wanted to move to town, and moved into the Grunthal Home, a Senior’s Complex. He liked living here, adapting well, and was thankful for the quality of life that he could enjoy here. His health problems got to the point where it was obvious that he could not go on much longer. He was a fighter, and finally on Sunday morning, January 28, at 10:30 he went to be with his Lord. Now he is breathing easier. Leaving to mourn Dad are his 6 children, 36 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. They are daughter Margaret Esau and family, Wayne and Debra, Curtis and Janella, Jerry and Shannon, Russel and Joni; daughter Anne (Dick) Derksen and family, Bruce and Arlene, Brian and Cheryl, Brenda, and Brent; son Frank (Margaret) and family, Franz and Kristie, Josie and Josh Dyck, Rachel and Ryan Cote, Kara and Nate Lane, Tammy; daughter Tina (Jerry) Lemay and family, Jacky and Joey Martens, Greg and Shirley Unrau, Melissa and Andy, James; Ike and Helen and family, Nicholas, Stephanie, Christina, Kimberly, Rudy and Lorna and family, Angela, Charmaine, Dylan. He was predeceased by his wife Tina December 26, 1989; son-in-law Peter Esau July 15, 1984, grandson David John Esau June 1980, grandson Paul Martens March 1986 and great granddaughter Carlin Paige Esau December 1994. We, as a family, are left with a large gap in our lives, because he was such a vital part in our life, leaving us with many precious memories. We look forward to meeting him in heaven. The funeral service for Dad took place Friday, February 2, 2001, 2:00 p.m. at the Grunthal Bergthaler Church with interment at the Grunthal Cemetery. Donations in Dad’s memory may be made to Gospel for Asia or to Canadian Sunday School Mission.