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Williamsburg Funeral Home
Williamsburg Funeral Home
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01/06/1953 – 05/13/2019
Scranton
Funeral Services
Graveside funeral services for Mr. Richburg will be 2 PM Thursday, May 16, 2019, at Kingstree Memorial Gardens.
Memorials
Memorials may be made to New Zion Baptist Church, 1230 McAllister Mill Road, Lake City, SC 29560.
Martin Luther “Marty” Richburg, Jr. died Monday, May 13, 2019, at his home.
Mr. Richburg was born January 6, 1953, in Kingstree, a son of the late Martin Luther and Pearleen Wall Richburg. He was a graduate of Kingstree High School and Francis Marion College. Marty worked in the family furniture for years and in other furniture stores after the death of his father. He was a member of New Zion Baptist Church.
Surviving Mr. Richburg are several cousins.
Graveside funeral services for Mr. Richburg will be 2 PM Thursday, May 16, 2019, at Kingstree Memorial Gardens.
Memorials may be made to New Zion Baptist Church, 1230 McAllister Mill Road, Lake City, SC 29560.
Just talked to Marty less than two weeks ago and am very sad to hear of his passing. Marty was a good man. Rest in peace my friend.
Our family is very sad to hear of the passing of Mr. Marty. Yet, we rejoice for we know that for believers in Christ, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” I came to know Mr. Marty through my husband, William Rogan. William has always had a deep respect and love for Mr. Marty who served as his Sunday School teacher at Kingstree First Baptist Church for many years and continued in his mentorship and long time friendship over many years. Mr. Marty was a family friend of the Rogans and shared many visits and dinners together. This past Christmas, Mr. Marty came over for a Christmas dinner and as always, brought small presents for the grandchildren (including mine and William’s three boys). He couldn’t have picked a better gift as he brought special edition, classic matchbox cars for our boys…our younger two played with theirs immediately. Our oldest who is 7 wouldn’t dare open his because of its value and uniqueness that he was learning about through conversation with Mr. Marty. Mr. Marty was full of knowledge and from what I understand was practically an encyclopedia for sports trivia…and Bible trivia. The sports trivia was for fun…the Bible trivia was for life. Not that he wanted to be full of knowledge, but that he wanted to KNOW CHRIST. At our Christmas dinner, which we could have never imagined would be our last time with him, he spoke of all that he was studying and learning about God’s grace: grace freely given and grace never ending.
Several years ago Mr. Marty gave us a small statue of a boat with fishermen. It represents the story told several times in the New Testament of Jesus performing a miracle on the sea of Galilee. As Simon Peter and Andrew stood in astonishment of who Jesus was and what He had done, Jesus said, “Come, follow me…and I will make you fishers of men.” Mr. Marty had come to know who Jesus was and it was apparent in the way he lived, in the way he served and the in the way he interacted that he too was willing to wholeheartedly follow Jesus…and share the gospel with those around him.
Mr. Marty, you have honored the Lord with your life and on behalf of my husband and our family, I want to say thank you for giving to the Lord. You have modeled what it means to be a follower of Christ. You placed value not on earthly things but on eternal matters. You lived humbly and served well. My husband and I immediately think of the song from many years ago by Ray Boltz, “Thank You For Giving To The Lord.”
To the family of Mr. Marty, if you don’t know that song, please look it up and listen to it, knowing that there is one family, but likely many, many more individuals who could express their heart to Mr. Marty through these lyrics…here are a few: “One by one they came, far as the eye could see, Each life somehow touched, By your generosity. Little things that you have done, Sacrifices made, Unnoticed on the earth, In Heaven now PROCLAIMED. For I know up in Heaven, You’re not suppose to cry, But I am almost sure, There were tears in your eyes. As Jesus took your hand, And you stood before the Lord, He said, ‘My child look around you, for GREAT IS YOUR REWARD’…..Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed, Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am so glad you gave.”
We will miss you Mr. Marty. We will remember you.
Love, William and Marie Rogan
So sorry to hear this
Marty was always so nice
I am so sad to learn of Marty’s passing. He was a kind and gentle person. That smile was uplifting!
Marty was a wonderful witness of Christian love… Always smiling even his eyes smiled I can’t say I was a close friend, but my inter-action with him was a pleasure… His knowledge and understanding of the Bible was always an inspiration to me and others in his presence… Jesus said, “The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and the second is like unto this.. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. I believe that Marty lived his life obeying these commandments. Marty, enjoy heaven!! I will join you one day….. Your Friend, Howard
Marty will surely be missed you could see Jesus in the way he lived He was a great guy
We are thinking of all of you.
Len B. and Claire Hudson Gaskins
Marty was our cousin, our friend, our mentor in our spiritual life. We had no idea how much we loved him until he was gone. Taken so suddenly, hopefully with no pain. The same way we all hope to go to the Lord. Rest in peace our dear Marty until we meet again. He finished a good race and built up his treasures in heaven.
Marty treated everybody, especially children, as if they were one of his own. Marty will be missed by everybody who knew him. Marty, may you rest in peace.
So sorry for your loss. At a time like this I find comfort in the words found at John 5:28 & 29. I hope you will also. Please visit JW.org for further comfort.
I moved from Kingstree more than 20 years ago and am just now finding out about this. I’m shocked and saddened about Marty’s passing. I’m so glad you used this picture of Marty because I’m sure that’s exactly how most of us remember him – always smiling. He was such a kind, gentle, and caring guy, and I’m comforted to know that I’ll see him again someday.
I write this on May 13, 2021, two years to the day of Marty’s unexpected passing. That is unusual, yes, but I actually did not learn about his death until more than three months after the fact. In late August of 2019 I ran into one of his former associates when walking out of a restaurant, whom I had last seen during ArtFields, at which time Marty came up in our conversation, only days before he died. That conversation was a little reminder that I needed to give him a call, something I fully intended to do, but I didn’t immediately follow through. The nature of our friendship had always been somewhat sporadic, as I lived out-of-state when we first met, and would occasionally run into him over the years. In late 2017 we played phone tag, when Marty called in hopes we could connect during my Christmas visit back here. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and I offered my apology in a voicemail, while I looked forward to when we could reconnect later. Fast forward to early 2019, when I moved back to the area. Marty came to mind a time or two, as I kept thinking I needed to give him a call. In fact, I finally called his number only a few days before I learned the sad news, and got a message that the number wasn’t in service. However, at the time I didn’t read too much into it, as this had previously happened when calling him a few years earlier. Of course, learning of his death came as a shock. I concur with the other comments left here by friends and loved ones; they describe Marty’s character very well, not the least of which was his tremendous love for the Lord. While maybe not a close friend in the usual sense, I nevertheless considered Marty a good friend, and the real deal, someone very genuine and humble, whom I felt at ease with as though I had known him much longer. I have grieved his loss and am haunted that I didn’t get the chance to see him one more time while I could. Nevertheless, I celebrate Marty’s homecoming in Heaven. And I look forward to being able to see him again.