It is with a heavy heart that we must say goodbye to Dr. Johann Martel Sr. There are no suitable words to describe the great person to whom we are saying goodbye.
Johann was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather born the seventh of nine children on the 30th of May 1952 in Sosnowka, Russia.
In 1957 the family moved to Kyrgyzstan, where he met his wife Vera and fell in love with her. He told the story of how they met for the first time, always with a big simile while Vera's face turned red.
Johann went home from a birthday party, where he had drank a bit, to get dressed for the following dance party. On his way to the dance party he suddenly felt the alcohol, so he stopped to rest next to a tree. Meanwhile, his brother Alexander crossed his path together with some friends, which also included Vera. Alexander had always talked very good about Johann while in the presence of Vera, saying he didn't smoke or drink alcohol and that he had just returned from the Army. So now Vera meets Johann drunk and tired next to a tree. This I call love at first sight!
In 1973 Johann and Vera were married. They had two children, Viktoria and Johann Jr, and together they've made their perfect family. They lived in the village of Frunse, Kyrgyzstan with his parents.
Johann was for his whole life always industrious and never wanted to rest. Besides owning a farm, he studied to become a TV technician, and also worked in an agricultural research laboratory. That wasn't enough, so meanwhile he studied to become a mechanical engineer. Still it was not enough, so he pursued a doctorate of agriculture engineering. Education and knowledge had always been his highest goals. For this reason he used to talk about his outstanding achievements with joy and pride. Despite his successes and his physical height he was always down to earth and even shy. Besides his family and sports (especially volleyball), his heart beat for the love of music. It didn't matter which kind of musicial instrument he had in his hands, his bajan (similar to an accordion), drums, piano, or guitar, he immediately started to play beautiful melodies and sometimes he sang to them. Along with his brothers Waldemar and Alexander they played together in a band. In the area surrounding where they lived, there was rarely a festival that didn't include their music. As you can see, Johann was a versatile person full of energy.
In spite of everything, his family always came first in his life. To give his children a nice life, with pleasure, he gave up his career as a professor of mathematics and physics at the University and moved with the family to Germany in 1992. As his dad used to say, they had finally arrived home.
In 2001, he together with the family started his biggest project, i.e. the renovation of their own home here in Widdern. Til the end and with his last power together with his noblewoman, as he used to call his wife with love, worked in the garden and on the house so that his children and grandchildren would have a nice home.
Of course, we grandchildren owe him so much for all he has given us. He was a humorous, loving, selfless, and wise man who could just do everything. We had the good fortune to spend so much time with him and learn so much from him. We can't see our beloved Opi anymore, but he will always live within us: in our hearts, our humor, our smiles, in Katha's stubbornness and desire for knowledge, in Marcel's long lectures, in Julia's hip swing, selflessness and skilled craftsmanship, in Michelle and Marcel's musical talents, and in Josephine's interest in mathematics. We'll miss the talks and discussions which could last for hours, especially those about politics. Every second was enjoyed because Opa was in his element, the talks were never boring, and we've learned a lot.
Dear Opa, you are gone way too early. We had so many plans left to do with you. We know you fought heartily and With all your power you tried to get healthy. Even in your last moments you were worrying only about us. Unfortunately, cancer won the battle. Now we want to let you go peacefully to your parents, your sisters, and to your brother. You can now continue your beloved genealogy search and finally ask the ancestors where the origin of our family lay. I'll bet even in heaven you'll make improvements so that everything is perfect for when we meet each other there. Til then we will give our best to make you proud.
We all shouldn't mourn his death, but celebrate his life. Each of us owes him a wonderful time and we all share beautiful memories with him. Hold these memories with you, so he will always be with us.