Updated Monday, April 21, 2008

BSC retiree dies in wreck

From staff reports

O.D. Martin Jr., a former missionary and a Baptist State Convention (BSC) retiree, died April 18 from injuries received in a car wreck the previous evening in Raleigh.

Martin, 78, was director of stewardship for the Brazilian Baptist Convention and served as stewardship director and director of partnership missions for the BSC. After retirement, he immediately returned to Brazil as a volunteer missionary for two years. He also served as an adjunct professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest.

He was a member of Forest Hills Baptist Church in Raleigh where he was instrumental in developing a partnership between the church and East Asia. He also taught a men's Bible Class and served on numerous committees.

Martin is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara Cheek Martin; daughters, Marsha Martin Lewis, of Macon, Ga., Becky Martin Williams of Boston, Mass., and Priscila Ann Martin Humphries of Fuquay Varina; two grandsons; and two sisters, Ann Johnson of Victoria, Texas, and Martha Ray, of Austin, Texas.

The family is scheduled to receive friends on April 22 from 7-9 p.m. at Mitchell Funeral Home, 7209 Glenwood Avenue. A memorial service, officiated by Larry Harper and Dee Froeber is scheduled for 11 a.m. on April 23 at Forest Hills Baptist Church, with private committal services to follow at Raleigh Memorial Park.

Memorial contributions may be made to the World Missions Fund of the Forest Hills Baptist Church, 201 Dixie Trail, Raleigh, N.C. 27607.