Family, friends mourn four who died in fire

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004 | 11:05 a.m.

Donations to the Madison Martin Memorial Fund can be made at any Wells Fargo Bank branch.

Before 300 people at the Christ Episcopal Church sanctuary Monday afternoon, 7-year-old Madison Martin, with a lift from his grandfather, approached the microphone.

As mourners sobbed audibly, the boy, the only survivor of a fatal New Year's Day fire, remembered his family members -- parents Charles William "Chaz" Martin, 39, and Melissa Dee Martin, 34, and brother Harrison Charles Martin, 6 -- simply.

"My mom and dad were very special to me," Madison Martin said, speaking more clearly than many of the adults who had shared memories before him. "Whenever I asked for something they would give it to me. On my birthday they would always hug me and kiss me.

"I love them very much," Madison continued. "They are in a better place now."

The service Monday afternoon memorialized the parents and child who died in a predawn fire on New Year's Day, along with 10-year-old Andy Liu of Irvine, Calif., a friend of the Martin boys who was spending the night.

Only Madison Martin survived after his father, Chaz Martin, managed to wake him up and tell him to get out of the house before he succumbed to the smoke trying to save the others.

These weren't deaths to be understood, the Rev. Massey Gentry, said during the traditional Episcopalian service.

"God is not calling them to some higher purpose," Gentry said. "This is a horrible accident, a tragedy. We don't have to sugarcoat it with philosophy."

Firefighters haven't yet determined how the fire started, though they believe it began in the master bedroom. They expect to complete an investigation this week.

Madison Martin has been staying with his maternal grandparents, Garry and Victoria Carter, since being released Friday from University Medical Center, where he was treated for smoke inhalation. The Carters say they plan to raise him.

Several family members and friends addressed Madison as they shared memories of the Martins.

"Madison, you must be proud to know your dad is a hero," Shari Sharman, a family friend, said. "Your dad is a hero to all of us."

A close friend of Melissa Martin, who identified herself as Janice, told Madison it was OK to not understand why his family was gone, "because we grown-ups don't understand."

"You are the light for all of us to remember your mommy and daddy," Janice said.

Family and friends remembered how Chaz Martin loved the outdoors, especially surfing and any type of skiing.

They remembered how Melissa loved to travel and go to Disneyland with her husband and boys. In fact, the family had a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., planned for this week, the Carters have said.

The mourners remembered how Harrison, also known as "Woobie," loved to play soccer, ride his bike and play on the computer with his grandfather, Garry Carter.

"My grandson Harrison, I'm going to miss him forever," Carter said, choking up at the podium as his hands rested on Madison's shoulders. "He was my partner."

Several friends mentioned the family's smiles, and Chaz and Harrison's "chocolate brown eyes."

Janice remembered how her friend, Melissa, played mom to everyone. Janice imagined Melissa practicing her cosmetology trade up in heaven.

"If I know my girl, she's up there doing facials and makeovers and making the angels more beautiful than they already are," Janice said.

Gentry said such remembrances celebrate the "mystery of life and death," that whenever friends and family see something that reminds them of one of the Martins, they should take a moment to remember that person.

"Remember them and they'll live in eternity," Gentry said.

Chaz Martin's employer, Flamingo President Lorenzo Creighton, said at the memorial service that the Flamingo will set up a scholarship fund for Madison in remembrance of his family.

Many employees from the Flamingo, where Chaz Martin was a doorman, were at the memorial service.

One of Chaz Martin's sisters, Ty Dobecki, said it helped her a lot to meet with his friends and co-workers.

"It's amazing to see the lives that our brother touched," Dobecki said.