Born in Grand Rapids Michigan on March 22, 1936, Richard H. Martin was the eldest child of Helen Hickam Martin and John B. Martin Jr., a State Senator and Auditor General. Richard attended Cranbrook School in Detroit where from an early age he became interested in the “Great Questions”, and “what makes people tick”, topics covered in the sermons of his pastor, Duncan Littlefair, Ph.D.

Richard went on to Dartmouth College where he studied Philosophy and Psychology and upon graduation, married the late Dian Dee Noonan of Grand Rapids in 1958. Richard completed three years of seminary at Episcopal Divinity School in New York City, followed by 20 years as an Episcopal Pastor of churches in Pomeroy, OH; Columbus, OH; Seat Pleasant, MD; and Amesbury, MA. In Seat Pleasant, he was affectionately known as Father Rick, and earned the admiration of his peers for ministering to his white and black congregation in equal measure and mediating racial enmity. In Amesbury he experimented with support groups and meditation, eventually turning to New Age theology.

In 1985, Richard received a Doctor of Ministry (Psychology) from Andover-Newton Theological School and opened a counseling center in Charlestown MA with his second wife Jean Wright. He then trained in the spiritual psychology of Psychosynthesis. He increasingly found the sacred in the psychoses and later began offering Intuitive Holistic Health Assessment. In 2005 Richard trained as an international mediator and joined the summer staff of “A Tent for All Nations” in the Palestinian sector of Bethlehem. For eleven years he taught peaceful conflict resolution among Jews and Palestinians. More recently, he volunteered to help revive Unity Church in Greenfield, MA until health issues prompted his retirement.

Rick loved poetry, playing the guitar, and peacemaking. He is survived by his sister, Gillian Sorensen, by his sons Francis, Timothy, and Andrew; granddaughters Alyssa and Elizabeth and grandsons John and George.

The memorial service for Mr. Martin has been postponed until further notice.