National flagbearer passes on

A man with a big heart, and a lot of love for his country.

That is what persons say they remember most about Martian “Marty” King, who passed away on Wednesday afternoon, following a brief battle with cancer.{{more}}

King, 42, died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital around 4:30 p.m., after being admitted on Monday night.

Kaziah Blugh, his partner of 16 years, said that Marty complained on Monday, about not feeling well.

“I guess he already knew he wouldn’t make it, but I didn’t think so soon – I was looking for later down,” Blugh said.

Blugh said since Marty’s passing, she has been at a loss for words.

She described Marty as a good man, and a good and loving father to his four children.

The past year, since Marty was first diagnosed with cancer, has been hard, Blugh said.

“I don’t think that he got a good night’s sleep – he was in a lot of pain,” she told SEARCHLIGHT.

Blugh added that Marty’s condition did not improve since his return from Cuba, where he had gone for treatment earlier this year.

“He went to Cuba hoping that he would have gotten chemotherapy,” she explained.

But while there, he was diagnosed with kidney failure, she said.

Things would get worse following his return, she said, adding that his condition took a turn for the worse when he learnt that his lungs were also beginning to fail.

And while it was hard to watch as his conditioned progressively worsened, Blugh said that Marty did his best to keep her strong.

“God is good – God giveth and he taketh,” Hugh Lewis, Marty’s father said.

“He ain’t dead, he only sleeping,” the grieving man continued.

Lewis described the second of his four sons as a good person.

“He was a nice, nice son to me,” Lewis said.

But Marty will be missed by the wider population for entertaining and giving support at national sporting and cultural events.

His wife said that he was extremely proud to wear the national colours.

“He was always in his national colours, and I would say Marty you have other clothes, he would reply that he was a proud Vincy,” Blugh said.

Angus “Sappy” Evans described his friend Marty as a national icon.

And he did it all for the love of country.

According to Evans, Marty said that he did what he did out of love and pride for his country, even though he was never paid for doing what he loved.

“He liked his national colours, anywhere – cricket, football, funerals, soca monarch, calypso,” Evans said.

“Marty did a lot for the national football team,” he continued.

“And his death, I feel it – cricket will miss him, football will miss him, Carnival will miss him. He will be missed by everyone.”

“He felt pain, so now his pain is gone,” Evans said.