Obituary: Vernon M. Martin Jr.

Accounting professor Vernon (Vern) Martin died in September after a long journey with Parkinson’s disease. The Ohio native came to Messiah as a student in the 1960s and majored in sacred music. After a career in public education in Pennsylvania and California, he returned to his alma mater to teach accounting and taxes for 25 years (1981-2006). Preparing his own tax return led him to a business of preparing taxes for clients, many from the Messiah community. He served as minister of music in numerous Brethren in Christ congregations, including locally in Carlisle and Dillsburg, Upland in California and Fairview in Ohio. Messiah mourns his loss alongside his family, many of whom are alumni, including wife BJ (McCulloh) Martin ’66; daughter Melissa von Keyserling ’92; granddaughters Mikaela Byrd ’20 and Kara Lawley; son Matthew Martin’97; and granddaughters Morgan and Anna Martin.

The family has kindly directed memorial gifts to the Martin Family Accounting Scholarship Endowment Fund at Messiah University.