Martin JONES Obituary

To Martin's family,

Shock and disbelief when I was told about Martin's passing on.

ISince the 90's, he supportive me through my ups and downs ,esp when my husband died years ago.

I shall appreciate contact details from the family please. I wrote a eulogy.

Thanks,

Zenny ( Maria ) coupe , originally from Kaikohe
[email protected]
027 207 0510

Martin Jones

Today 31 July, driving from Orewa to Kaikohe to be at the 90th bday lunch of a parishioner and re-connect with friends from 2001, I could not believe your demise ,2 June . As before, I thought you were in hiatus, hibernating somewhere, living your life to the fullest with your family and friends. You got off our radar so was blissfully oblivious no news is good news.

From the grapevine I learnt you settled down and moved to Christchurch with your indefatigable passion to mentor and lead the youth to the direction where you tapped their potentials. Never had I an inkling of your state of health as you were fit and robust ,so I thought.

It was mid 90's, when you joined, then led the music ministry of Kaikohe parish. Perhaps our parallel academic backgrounds, travel experiences, music ,and faith metamorphosed us to have that brother-big sister bonding. You were always there to listen and give unconditional support like making time a.h. to hone my girl's guitar skills in your Okaihau College flat.

It was 1996 December when you joined us in our Manila holiday , booked you in the Augustinian hostel and tagged along to sites, visiting friends and family.Everyone enjoyed your free-spirited company

It was 1997 December when you and Augustinian sister Aying provided the music for the blessing of my marriage to David, a teacher too, at St Anthony Church, Kaikohe.

It was Anzac Day 2000 when my husband succumbed to heart attack. You were there during the vigils and requiem mass, internment. Days , weeks following, you were there for me and my four kids. You arranged a healing holiday with my girls and you drove us to sites onto Wellington ( hot pools, Taupo, snow areas, etc. met up with Marist Fr. Allan Jones ),. Chilled out in your One Tree Hill residence showed your culinary expertise on egg noodles....exchanged recipes,emails

It was several seasons after , we gradually journeyed our separate wayskids off the nest, onto their OEs.now with families in Melbourne. And me , embarked into another career path, quietly happy that you finally found the love of your life .

From a distance, keep watching us all . You are in the best place to be and one day we shall be there too. So not goodbye,.just goodnight.


Zenny (Maria) Coupe- Hewitt

HHU

My love and sympathy to Martin's family. I remember Martin from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart church where he ran the best youth group ever!! And then as a teacher at Marcellin College. May he rest in peace.

My condolences to Martin's family. I remember visiting Auckland Museum with Martin and our ESl students when he worked at Liston College. Martin soon found himself talking to fascinated Japanese visitors who crowded around him conversing and sharing experiences with him. He always got a kick out of helping people and especially being able to communicate in another laguage. Martin was loved and respected by all who came into contact with him. A group of teachers are getting together to salute and remember Martin this Friday at Liston College.

Chris Sherwood

Mr Jones, a true spirit and a true teacher. You will be missed. THank you for all you have done for all the students and people whose lives you touched.

Much Love and Light Mr Jones.
You were such a wonderful teacher.
Your love of the performing arts, Sport (Basketball and Rugby), Drama and English was so evident in your teachings.

Your involvement in the Polyfest for both the Samoan and Tongan groups was awe worthy.

You sir, were the embodiment of 'Passion'.

Fa'afetai Tele Lava dear Mr Jones.

E sau le fuata ma lona lou.

In every generation there are some outstanding chiefs.

xoxo

Mr Jones,
I am at a loss for words.
I will never forget the fond memories of you Mr Jones.
You were able to effortlessly make everyone else have a good time during school, bring out the full potential of many who never knew how to. You taught us discipline, you pushed ourselves to really dig deep into who we are and strived to be.
Mr Jones, you had no judgement and you gave me a warm welcome into Marcellin College.
With my stature, you gave me a lot of encouragement to push boundaries, whether it was in school classes, abseiling, outdoor activities, school camps, and the musical productions.
There was a funny side to you, and it was such a pleasure working alongside our creativity for the Musical productions. You gave us faith in our abilities, helping us maximise our achievement while performing in front of hundreds.
Thanks for everything; we'll miss you Mr Jones, Rest in Peace.
My heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathy go out to your family and friends during this time
from Gavin and the Crosswell family

So sad to hear of your passing but you are in a better place, you were one of the best and funniest teachers at Marcellin, fly high Martin heaven surely has gained another Angel ofa atu

Fly High Mr Jones, "Manuia lau Malaga".

Our family was shocked and saddened to hear of this today. We remember a wonderful teacher, and a family friend who played badminton with us ( along with teachers including Mike Salmen), entertained us at staff parties -always had his guitar handy, watched rugby with us at our house, and produced wonderful drama productions at Okaihau College.
A lovely man who always lived life to the fullest.

It was a privilege to have worked with Martin at Marcellin College for many years. He was an awesome teacher who loved his students and would always give them every help, support and encouragement where and when needed. Martin gave so much of his time, not only in curricular but in all extra-curricular activities.
He was admired by his students and staff.
I have many happy memories of staff functions that included Martin.
A wonderful man taken to soon.

My sincere sympathy and prayers to his family.

Susan Davis. Auckland

It is with great sadness that I am writing this. Such a shock that such a wonderful sensitive, caring, loving, fun and talented man has been taken from us. I remember the practical jokes Martin used to play on me when we worked together. A wonderful man who touched many lives and therefore a lot of us are better people because of Martin. You have left a heap of memories behind in this world and now you will still be looking after people from above.
Taeko, Isaac and Oliver you now have your Guardian Angel to see you through this time.
Love to you Taeko, Issac and Oliver.

Oh Mr Jones...it was such great sadness to hear of your passing. I shed a few tears that day. You were one of those special teachers who genuinely cared about us all, our hopes, our dreams, our aspirations...you were always so funny and kind and patient. I'll never forget you. Rest in much love and peace. I'm sure your legacy will live on.

I was privileged to journey with martin the last four weeks and on one of my visits early on He said We are so lucky so much goodness around us
Indeed I was so lucky to have you as a friend 'ecce homo' this statement certainly suits you
You wore your heart on your sleeve so generous
Your family Taiko Isaac and Oliver like you enjoy doing things well and great sources of affirmation
On the Saturday following his death his son Isaac was playing soccer and i noticed a full sun shinning down on us and that had to be martin and they won the soccer too!!
you really inspired me to enjoy being gentle
Brian Jock Mackenzie
Christchurch

What a great great guy! He had a way of making all his students feel important and special. I feel so fortunate to have had him as a mentor and tutor . He lives in my memory as young , full of life , caring and a highly respected man. Very blessed to have known him. God bless his family.

Ollie and Isaacs dad and Taekos husband RIP - from Lachlan Bendalls Gran

Sorry to hear of your passing. You will be sorely missed by all that have known you.

I met you occassionaly in Christchurch at church i must say and i'll never forget what you told my husband when you first met him. "I was Teresa's teacher, hundreds of years ago" lol and when you told me you were married with two cute little boys, i thought to myself finally!! Mr Martin Jones R.I.L, you will be dearly missed but not forgotten. My sincere condolences to the family. Please God comfort them at this time of sorrow. 'Ofa atu Martin Jones.

You have touched so many lives and you are truly the definition of what a teacher should be. How lucky are we to have had you in our life. Rest in love and peace Mr Jones.

RIL Mr Jones. An awesome teacher and a wonderful man. Thank you for everything. Condolences to your family xoxo

Rest in peace Mr Jones. You were truly an influential person that I am happy to have known. Our prayers and condolences go to your family.

RIP Mr Jones, one of the best teachers and rugby coaches going around. And genuine good bloke. You will sadly be missed mate. Condolences to his family and friends. Ofa atu.

You will be sadly missed MR Jones . Awesome teacher who always had a lot to offer & went above & beyond what was required for his students . A multi talented man, from music to the great out doors to coaching rugby & producing the school musicals . He had a passion for everything & immersed himself wholeheartedly for the benefit of his students . I had the pleasure of 5 years with you in College that has a lasting impact on the rest of my life as with many of the students you have taught . May you rest in peace now Mr Jones knowing that you have had a lasting impact . Your life & contribution to others will be sorely missed .

Dear Sir,
I have passed the last two days looking for the words to write that would do justice to your memory, your legacy, your history. As hard as it is to admit, I am struggling to find the words.

Then it occurred to me. It was YOU that taught me the power of WORDS.
It was you who taught me that words were the expression of a soul.
It was you who taught me poetry is beauty and creativity captured in words.
It was you who taught me that the words spoken on a stage can transfer and transfix an audience to another place and time.
It was you who taught me that when you transpose words with a guitar and a melody, you can lift the spirit higher.
It was you who taught me that words can tear down the walls of indifference and build a place of cultural community.
But Sir, most importantly you taught me the true meaning of Seek The Best.

Sir, of all the things I remember of our journey together, it was your ability to challenge me, your belief in me and your selflessness. I remember I once told you that I wanted to quit the production and you said that you believed that I was the only person with the skill and talent to play this role. I don't think I ever told you this, it turns out that it was one of my favorite roles. You pushed me to what I thought was my limit and kept pushing until I realised that I had more to give. It is in these moments that I have my fondest and most cherished memories.
My memories range from Tongan Groups to Basketball Teams, Goal-a-thons to Intermediate sing-a-longs, Third Form Camp to Musical Productions, 1st XV Rugby to English Classes, Whanau Sports to Outdoor Ed. You Sir are a reoccurring, and often binding, agent in all of my College Memories.

But who were you really? Who were you to me?
To me, you will always be, Sir, Mr Jones or on very rear occasions Martin. A champion of the people. A font of knowledge. An outdoors man. A handyman. A rugby head. A musician. A director. A person who you could talk to about anything. A friend with a listening ear and a Teacher of Life.
To me you will always be a smile. You will always be a mentor. You will always be the melody of the James Taylor classic "You Got A Friend". You will always be my amazing teacher. You will always be a joker.
Most of, You will always be my FRIEND.

Rest easy now Martin Jones. You may be gone now, but you have left your words and a legacy in the hearts and mind of your family, friends, students and anyone who has been lucky enough to spend some time with you.
May your soul rise and soar to the heavens above, to the heights that you always pushed us to achieve. May our creator welcome you home to rest and keep a watchful eye on us. May your memory live forever.

Thank you for everything.
I miss you already.

Joey

May you rest in peace

Rest in peace Mr Jones. You were a great coach, teacher and friend to many students at Marcellin College. We will miss you xx

Dear Sir,
I have passed the last two days looking for the words to write that would do justice to your memory, your legacy, your history. As hard as it is to admit, I am struggling to find the words.

Then it occurred to me. It was YOU that taught me the power of WORDS.
It was you who taught me that words were the expression of a soul.
It was you who taught me poetry is beauty and creativity captured in words.
It was you who taught me that the words spoken on a stage can transfer and transfix an audience to another place and time.
It was you who taught me that when you transpose words with a guitar and a melody, you can lift the spirit higher.
It was you who taught me that words can tear down the walls of indifference and build a place of cultural community.
But Sir, most importantly you taught me the true meaning of Seek The Best.

Sir, of all the things I remember of our journey together, it was your ability to challenge me, your belief in me and your selflessness. I remember I once told you that I wanted to quit the production and you said that you believed that I was the only person with the skill and talent to play this role. I don't think I ever told you this, it turns out that it was one of my favorite roles. You pushed me to what I thought was my limit and kept pushing until I realised that I had more to give. It is in these moments that I have my fondest and most cherished memories.
My memories range from Tongan Groups to Basketball Teams, Goal-a-thons to Intermediate sing-a-longs, Third Form Camp to Musical Productions, 1st XV Rugby to English Classes, Whanau Sports to Outdoor Ed. You Sir are a reoccurring, and often binding, agent in all of my College Memories.

But who were you really? Who were you to me?
To me, you will always be, Sir, Mr Jones or on very rear occasions Martin. A champion of the people. A font of knowledge. An outdoors man. A handyman. A rugby head. A musician. A director. A person who you could talk to about anything. A friend with a listening ear and a Teacher of Life.
To me you will always be a smile. You will always be a mentor. You will always be the melody of the James Taylor classic "You Got A Friend". You will always be my amazing teacher. You will always be a joker.
Most of, You will always be my FRIEND.

Rest easy now Martin Jones. You may be gone now, but you have left your words and a legacy in the hearts and mind of your family, friends, students and anyone who has been lucky enough to spend some time with you.
May your soul rise and soar to the heavens above, to the heights that you always pushed us to achieve. May our creator welcome you home to rest and keep a watchful eye on us. May your memory live forever.

Thank you for everything.
I miss you already.

Joey

Awesome teacher and rugby coach..
RIP bro.. till we meet again..

Rest now in heaven Mr Jones. You were the best teacher, so kind and gentle. Always welcomed us with your smile. It was a pleasure having you as a teacher. Heart warming thoughts go out to your family and friends.

A true legend in teaching. He actually cared for his students, and was respected for it, he will be missed but always be remembered. Rip Mr Jones.
You can now close the books my friend

Mr Jones. A teacher, friend and mentor like no other. I am truly blessed to have had him in my life. Rest now. My thoughts and prayers go out to all family and friends at this time. Clare Piper (née Sargeant)