Mr. Larry Martin, Sr.'s Obituary
Rev. Larry Martin, Sr. was born in Meridian, MS on December 17, 1952. God called him home on May 10, 2015 after his hard fought battle with cancer. When he transitioned from this life he was surrounded by love from a room full of family and close friends. Rev. Martin accepted Christ at the early age of 9 at 31st Avenue Baptist Church. He attended Meridian Public Schools and received his GED while serving in the military, where he fought in the Vietnam War. He later attended Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, CO and later became a minister. He served as Assistant Pastor of the Laurel Bresee Church of the Nazarene in Laurel, MS from 1994 to 2010. At the age of 11 he participated in the Freedom Summer of 1964. He was one of the few black youth who marched along with adults after the discovery of the bodies of the three Civil Rights workers in Philadelphia, MS. On March 24, 2015 Mayor Percy Bland presented him with a Proclamation declaring March 29, 2015 as Larry Martin Day in Meridian, MS in special recognition of his work and dedication as a community servant. Rev. Martin loved his family!! He was a loving and devoted son, brother, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and uncle. He was affectionately called "Gran Man" by his loved ones. Throughout his battle with cancer, even in his final days, he was steadfast in his belief and faith in God's Word. He touched many lives inside and outside the pulpit. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother Effie Lee Lucas, two sisters Linda Bonner and Delores Robert, and a grandson Cordero Lewis. He leaves behind his mother Mrs. Rosie Lee Gandy, four daughters; Yolanda Gaddis, Labrina Ivy (David), Crispina Johnson (Stephen), and Kimberly Rhone (Reginald) and one son Larry Martin Jr., three brothers; Lenry Gandy (Patricia), Lance Williams, and Lonnie Williams (Tanya), and one sister, Lenora Oliver (Bennie). He had 19 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Also left to cherish his memory is Ms. Carolyn Martin, his former wife, with whom he spent more than thirty years of his life with.
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