Martin "Marty" Lovelace-Chandler

I am so sorry for your loss, Jennifer..... Boys, your daddy is made completely new in heaven with God. I love you both.... The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lords glory, are being transformed into his likeness, with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:17-18

Hello Jennifer and boys --- I knew Marty back in our college days. He was a fraternity brother to my college boyfriend, and so we spent some time together in Conway. I remember his smile and a connection we had over serious things in life. There wasn't much time for serious conversation around all of those fraternity guys (it was a party all the time), but Marty and I were able to sneak in deeper talks on occasion - and I admired him so much. I pray that he's without pain and struggle now in the arms of Christ. God bless you as you work through your grief and heal. In Christ, Heather Spencer Clawitter

There is much Marty could have complained about for the hand he was dealt in Life, but that was not his way. He pursued every opportunity with a passion many would envy. He had a wicked sense of humor and found laughter in every day.

I have been honored in being apart of your lives. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of your families life. Marty and I had a good time, we shared a lot of the same twisted sense of humor. My heart breaks for you, Jennifer and or the boys. Please know that I love you all. I know that Marty is probably giving St. Peter a run for his money. I can't even imagine how excited Marty is to be able to run, walk, and jump for joy. He will always be watching over you with all his contagious joy and infectious laughter.

There are many things about Martin that made him a unique and wonderful person. He was a brilliant guy, a problem-solver, and the type of person who understood things that many people never will. Martin displayed a level of devotion to the people and things that he loved that was unsurpassed by anyone I’ve ever met. If Martin identified you as “his”, whether it be as “his family”, “his friend”, “his frat”, “his work”, or “his team”, he committed to you, loved you, and was there for you, no matter what. (I mean, what else besides unwavering devotion could explain someone still being a Cowboys fan after all these years of Tony Romo?) Martin was a fiery, passionate kind of guy who had opinions and let you know about them. (If he were here today he would, no doubt, have some loaded words in response to my Cowboys comment). Martin was stubborn, determined, brave, and one of the hardest working people I’ve ever known. Martin and I started working at Arkansas Support Network around the same time. We’ve been colleagues and friends for the past 13 years. During that time, we’ve worked together, advocated for one another, struggled together, supported each other, and accomplished some amazing things. Our friendship has always been rooted in our shared, twisted sense of humor, our potty mouths, hot tempers, and our passionate intolerance for injustice. Of all the admirable and inspiring characteristics Martin possessed, the thing about him that has always amazed me was Martin’s ability to see possibilities. Whether the challenge was a physical environmental barrier, a computer systems error, or a person with untapped potential, Martin could always analyze the situation and come up with ideas to try. In 13 years and through lots of challenges, I’ve never witnessed him not be able to come up with some possible ideas to try. No doubt, this was a skill Martin had been perfecting since the day he arrived in this world with a body that wasn’t going to comply with typical expectations. He spent a lifetime learning how to look beyond the obvious, “not going to happen” to see the options that would allow him to “make things happen”. In the past few days, I’ve thought a lot about this gift of his, and the more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion, that this really is what life is all about: discovering possibilities. The evidence of Martin’s possibilities and a life well lived are abundant. It would be impossible to count the number of lives that he has touched in the past 41 years or list the accomplishments that he has achieved. Every day, Martin brought his love, devotion, determination, passion, hard work, and fight and gave each day everything he had. There really is nothing greater to accomplish than that. Laine and Trenton, always remember that your dad loved and made the most of life, and he loved the two of you more than anything in this world. You were and always will be his greatest possibilities. Martin, I am so grateful for the friendship we’ve had and all that I’ve learned from sharing space and time with you. I will miss you more than I can begin to describe, but I will celebrate your life everyday and never stop looking for what is possible. Rest in peace, my friend.