Auburn Bay community raises funds, grieves death of beloved neighbour
The community of Auburn Bay is rallying to help a local family after a husband and father was killed while working on his car last week.
Chad Martin is being remembered as a loving mentor, friend and neighbour whom anyone could count on.
Now, friends, neighbours and a local business are stepping up to raise funds for Martin's family.
Chad and his father were working on his vehicle Friday when it fell on them, killing them both. He leaves behind his wife, Natasha, and their young children — Edie, Miah and Jake.
Neighbour Jeremy Bockstael started a Gofundme page as soon as he heard the news, with a goal of $100,000. As of Tuesday afternoon, the total had reached $69,813.
Bockstael said when he first heard of Chad's death, he was in disbelief.
“He was always outside, working on his car, playing with his kids, walking his dog — guaranteed if you just wanted to talk to someone, you could probably go outside and find Chad helping someone or working outside.”
According to Bockstael, Chad was a gasfitter by trade and loved fixing cars as a hobby.
“He's left behind three little kids, and we just want to make sure that their future is secured,” he said.
Bockstael said he will miss Chad's generosity, kindness and presence in general, adding that his late neighbour leaves big shoes to fill.
“There are some single parents on the street, and he is like a father figure to those families. So just knowing that he's not around to fill that void, we'll have to step up to do that,” he said.
“My very first thought was, where is Natasha and what can I do to help her get through this?” said friend and neighbour Kelsey Lewis.
“I just held her as she cried; it was absolutely devastating.
“She is trying to put on a brave face for those kids, but it's scary right now for her to be trying to navigate what this new life is going to be like. She lost her best friend, her rock, the man who she absolutely loves — she's scared.”
Lewis said Natasha is “instantly brought to tears” every time she hears about the community's support while she tries to cope with the loss of her husband and fatherin-law.
“Natasha is the very first person, if anything happens, to drop everything she's doing and be there for whoever is in need. And that's how Chad was — they are the first people to be there to offer support and do whatever they can to help anybody.”
Lewis is organizing a meal train for the family for one month, where people can volunteer to drop off meals.
Franchisee owner for A&W in Auburn Bay, Balwant Singh, does not know the Martins but feels the immense pain the family is going through and wants to help.
“We find out from the Auburn Bay Angels page that there's a family in need, and they need help,” Singh said. “We can't walk for them, but we can walk with them and ease their pain; we try to help always.”
On April 24, Singh's fast-food restaurant will donate $2 from every combo purchased, which includes orders through third-party apps such as Skip the Dishes and even coupons.
As a father of three children, Singh said he put himself in the family's shoes.
“In one day they lost their father and grandfather at the same time — it clicked my mind and emotionally hurt me, so I thought we should stand with them,” he said.
“Be there for your loved ones, hug them tight and tell them you love them. Things happen in life; sometimes you get upset with each other but, believe me, you don't get a chance to say those things because I went through this last year when I lost my father and I wasn't there.
“I know they're going through a lot, but on our end, we're just putting in a little effort to ease their pain. God bless them.”