The love Bob Martin had for his wife Anne was immediate and everlasting.
They married each other three weeks after they first met and, 52 years later, nine days after Anne's passing, Bob joined her again.
He died on Tuesday at age 79 after an extended illness.
At his funeral Saturday, Bob was remembered for his love for his family, his fierce independence, his strong political ideals, his homemade machines, his honey bees, and his beloved tractor Bertha. Known for his gruff exterior and booming voice, Bob Martin's heart of gold never failed to outstrip his ability to intimidate.
"People fought with him and argued with him, but they loved him," said Lois Boone, who had Bob as her sidewalk advisor in her successful run to the provincial legislature in the late 1980s. "He was never short of ideas or opinions and he made sure everyone knew about them. There wasn't a subject he wouldn't tackle.
"I'm sure by now, St. Peter is calling his boss to say he's got someone called Bob who wants to speak to him as he's got some ideas on how he can clean up the mess on Planet Earth."
Former cabinet minister Paul Ramsay vowed he would never follow his alderman father's lead and become a politician himself, but Bob convinced him to move beyond being president of the College of New Caledonia Faculty Association and run as an MLA.
"Bob and Anne demonstrated in Prince George that there's an opportunity to do things in politics that would help the community I was from, once you got past the usual ranting and raving of B.C. politics, and he was right," said Ramsay.
"Bob set me straight on how to do politics. By his own example he taught me the importance of talking not only to your supporters and listening to what they're saying but talking to everybody, particularly your enemies, the people who don't support you and never will. That gave you a much better view of what's going on in the community."
The oldest of three siblings growing up on a farm near Sooke, Bob started his working career as a boilermaker, and his work took him to South Africa, Rhodesia, Kenya, England, Ireland and Pakistan. With his wife and two sons he moved to Prince George in 1964 to become a welding instructor and B.C. Vocational School, now the College of New Caledonia. He became a strong advocate for the John Howard Society and jumped into politics in 1974, when he was elected for the start of his two terms on Prince George city council. He also ran for mayor in 1977, and remained a behind-the-scenes politician, helping Anne win a seat on city council from 1990-99.
In an email read by Boone in her eulogy, provincial NDP leader Adrian Dix recognized the role Bob and Anne had in making Prince George a better community and thanked Bob for the strength he inspired in provincial politicians.
"So many New Democrats who worked for Bob describe him as the best kind of coach -- one who was tough, and who would never let you down," wrote Dix. "He would have your back and was resolute in helping you realize your full potential."
Carole Whitmer, a college colleague of Bob's, prepared for her eulogy by speaking to former CNC president Terry Weninger, who revealed a "deep dark secret" that brought some chuckles from the funeral crowd. "Through an error of judgment in his youth, Bob was once a card-carrying Conservative," said Whitmer.
Former NDP leader Carole James remembers him as "larger than life, and more than a little intimidating." She knew whenever she returned to Prince George to face her party supporters, Bob would be the one to brief her on local issues and set her political agenda, and that continued once she became the opposition leader with weekly phone calls to her Victoria office.
"Bob was so proud of his community," wrote James. "He loved Prince George and in turn, shared his time energy and expertise with his town.
"He would never hold back, and was always there with critique, praise and good strong debate, but always from the heart, and always followed with his support and endless commitment to our party, our values and his commitment to Prince George."
John Martin recalled how his father bought an old tractor for $500 and, unknown to his wife, restored it to working condition at the college. He called it Bertha and used it to clear the land and maintain the driveway of their house along the Nechako River. He especially loved showing his grandchildren how to drive it while he walked alongside them. He took an interest in honey production and kept 80 hives at their home, which required him to build another shed, earning him the nickname "Three-sheds" Martin.
"His bees were of great pride to him and mom always gave the bees 90 per cent of the credit in the growth of their magnificent garden," John eulogized.
While Anne was active in the St. Michael's Anglican church, Bob did not think of himself as being religious, however, their relationship was certainly a match made in heaven.
"Bob was not a religious man but he was a man of faith," said St. Andrews reverend Glenn Stone. "His life is a legacy for the community of what their love was like. Their marriage to each other was meant to be and they were made for each other. Bob and Anne have left a legacy of what is possible when people are in love with each other."
