Rest in peace, Deacon Turf D. Martin of Sedalia
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Deacon Turf D. Martin, 71, who assisted the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Sedalia, died on March 14 in Columbia, surrounded by the love of his wife and daughter.
A devoted servant of the Church and faithful follower of Christ, he dedicated his life to prayer, ministry, and service to God and to others.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 21 in Sacred Heart Chapel in Sedalia with Father Joseph Corel, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, presiding.
“Deacon Turf enjoyed being with the people and certainly was a servant to many,” said Fr. Corel in his homily. “Taking a big role in making sure those in need had a warm place to stay on cold nights in the St. Patrick Chapel basement; that women and sometimes, men, had a safe place to go when they needed a place through his work at CASA; helping a person through their grief of divorce; helping many through an annulment process and certainly many times accompanying a family during the funeral rites of a loved one.”
Deacon Martin was born on July 6, 1954, in New Orleans, a son of Jack Thomas Martin and Hieda Naomi (Hubbs) Martin.
On May 31, 1975, at Mary Queen of the Universe Catholic Church in St. Louis, he was united in marriage to JoAnn (Fleischmann) Martin, who survives of the home.
Deacon Martin earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He spent several years working in pharmaceutical marketing before establishing and operating Wine and More in Sedalia.
On April 20, 2013, in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Jefferson City, Bishop John R. Gaydos, now deceased, ordained him to the Diaconate.
Deacon Martin devoted the last 13 years of his life to ministry as a deacon at St. Vincent de Paul Parish. There, he faithfully proclaimed the Gospel, assisted at Mass and ministered to people’s needs.
His life in those years was centered on Christ and His Church.
He was a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and in 2024 received a Benemerenti Medal bestowed by Pope Francis for long, meritorious, and exceptional service to the Church.
Deacon Martin was active in the community, serving as president of the board of CASA, president of the Liberty Center Association for the Arts board, as a member of the Sedalia Housing Authority Board, and in outreach to those in need through the local warming shelter.
He enjoyed theater, whether acting or attending, and traveling.
He found great satisfaction in what he fondly called being a “gentleman farmer,” caring for his land and his Highland bull.
He spent his last full weekend at a Catholic Stewardship Conference in Wichita, Kansas.
Deacon Martin will be remembered as a man of charity, gentleness and hospitality. He possessed a shepherd’s heart, best exemplified in his life’s mission to “gather the little lost sheep of the world,” whether two-legged or four-legged.
In this, he reflected the love of the Good Shepherd.
“Turf was a true blessing for our parish and community,” said Joe Fisher, a St. Vincent de Paul parishioner. “We’re going to miss him a bunch, but we know he’s in a better place and we appreciate all of his efforts.”
“I miss him every day,” said Sister Mary Ruth Wand of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who ministers in the parish.
Father Mark Miller of the Missionary Society of the Precious Blood, former pastor of what is now St. Vincent de Paul Parish, said Deacon Martin took serving as a deacon seriously.
“He loved his ministry to the divorced and remarried folks to bring about reconciliation and to free the soul from wherever people felt the bondage was coming from,” said Fr. Miller.
Deacon Martin was a member of the Precious Blood Companions, a group of laypeople who share in the spirituality and mission of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.
“He was supported by our spirituality and grew in his compassion and ministry to those on the fringes of society,” said Fr. Miller. “Also, his wife, JoAnn, was a tremendous influence and support in his life.”
While Deacon Martin was comfortable with a hierarchical approach to Church, “he gradually also became comfortable with the social teachings of the Church especially towards the immigrant and homeless population of our world,” Fr. Miller stated.
Truth set him free
Fr. Corel noted that Deacon Martin was introduced to the Lord at a young age, through various Christian denominations and faith-tradition experiences, “always searching, always longing for that deep abiding loving relationship with God.”
The priest spoke of how Deacon Martin spent his life in pursuit of truth, especially through studying science and lovingly helping other people, especially those in need.
“The Lord placed both of these desires and ways of meeting the truth deep within Turf,” said Fr. Corel. “He also gave Turf the ability to love deeply and act quickly.”
The future deacon was exposed to Catholicism and the Mass through his wife and eventually decided to enter the Catholic Church.
“He has always been deeply appreciative, respectful and grateful for those previous experiences which made him stay close to people of varied faith backgrounds,” Fr. Corel noted. “He saw them as his fellow humans who desired love, support, encouragement, and the ability to live life as fully as he wanted to live life.”
As Mrs. Martin was serving as a military nurse, the couple lived in several U.S. locales and traveled extensively during their time in Austria.
“Before he moved back to his childhood home here in Sedalia, he tried to improve the lives of people around the world selling medical equipment and making an impact on many he met in his travels,” said Fr. Corel.
“Once he arrived here in Sedalia, he continued to be an instrument of good for others, not only in the walls of these churches but an instrument of love, charity and concern to the whole community of Pettis County by the many boards and services he was involved in,” the priest stated.
He took Pope Francis’s words to heart, especially about being sent to minister on the peripheries to serve people who carry heavy burdens, and that the Church is a field hospital and needs to care for the wounds of others.
He loved the Mass and helping to make it more regal and beautiful.
In the final decade of his life, he did all of this while carrying a heavy burden of physical suffering.
“There were limitations he eventually had to come to terms with and like all of us who have to acknowledge new limitations, it was part of the cross he, too, had to carry,” said Fr. Corel.
Sure and certain hope
Surviving are Mrs. Martin; their daughter, Ashley Martin, of St. Louis; and his sister, Nancy Martin, of Kansas City.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his infant daughter, Sara Alice Martin; and his stepmother, Joyce Martin.
Burial was in St. John the Evangelist Cemetery in Bahner, south of Sedalia.
