Obituary of Martin Grace

Martin V. Grace, a College Administrator, passed away suddenly on Friday afternoon, October 21, 2016. He was 57 years old. Martin was born into a military family and at Ft. Devens Military Base. His family settled in Burlington in 1966 and were one of the few African American families in what was a predominantly white working class community. Martin and his siblings were warmly welcomed and easily made lasting friendships. Martin, like all his siblings, inherited the ability to speak easily and confidently in a way that made others want to listen and believe. All the Grace brothers were well respected by their classmates in school, friends, and residents in Burlington. One became a lawyer, another, served as a State Representative, and Martin followed in their footsteps in his involvement in the Knights of Columbus. He was a member of the K of C’s youth program, called the Squires. When he was old enough, he followed his father’s footsteps and served the K OF C in numerous roles including most importantly, Grand Knight for two terms and a 4th Degree Knight. He participated in socials and charity events including the Tootsie Roll Drive and the Exceptional Children’s Golf Tournament each year. Martin was a member of one of Burlington’s biggest graduating classes, the Class of 1978. Martin excelled in Track and Field and held the Burlington High School record for the 400 hurdles for a number of years. He also played freshman football, was on student council, a class officer and he was in the Senior Play. There wasn’t one class member who didn’t know Martin by the time they graduated. Martin went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from U Mass Lowell where he was a Class Officer his Senior Year. He was a former Town Meeting Member in Burlington and a longtime member of the Burlington Democratic Committee. His gregarious and welcoming charisma carried on all throughout his adult years as well. He had numerous circles of friends such as his Cape Cod group, work friends, soccer, softball, Knights of Columbus, Sons of Italy, Elks, friend’s families, and so on and so on. He had a bit of knowledge on almost anything from sports, philosophy, politics, ….. and would use that as a way to spark a conversation which often bloomed into a friendship. He had a kind heart and a strong will to contribute that sometimes got him into trouble as he occasionally over extended himself. He had a great group of close friends who loved Martin just because he was “Martin” and he was one of the guys. How many people can say that their inner circle of friends in high school, consistently stayed together as a group 40 years later. Martin had a strong bond with his family. He was a devoted and supportive son to his parents, Irene and Manuel. He was proud to be part of the Grace boys legacy, and a proud uncle to his nephew and nieces. Martin worked in college administration much of the past 35 years. He has worked as an admissions counselor, registrar, and other administrative roles in a number of colleges including; Roxbury Community College, Riviera College, Merrimack College, Cape Cod Community College, and University of Lowell. He also worked at St. John's Seminary Martin was the son of the son of the late Irene Anna (Lopes) and Manuel F. Grace. Loving brother of Darlene “Dolly” Mendes of New Bedford , Augusto “Augie” & his wife Janice of Burlington, Manuel “Manny” & his wife Karen “Casey” Caffee-Grace of Pasadena, CA, Anthony & his wife Paula Hoyt of Westford, and John of Los Angeles, CA. Uncle of Gene Mendes of Boston, the late Keone Mendes of Boston, Carson Grace of Westford and Nicholas, Alexander & Zoe Grace all of CA. Great uncle of Catrina Mendes and Gene Mendes Jr. both of New Bedford. Brother-in-law of Jancie Grace of Chelmsford. Also survived by many cousins and friends Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Wednesday, October 26 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Martin’s name may be made to the Knights of Columbus Exceptional Children’s Fund, P.O. Box 25, Burlington, MA 01803. In Remembrance of Martin V. Grace Funeral Mass: 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2016 By his Brother Anthony , Good morning. On behalf of my brothers and our families, I want to thank you for joining us this morning in celebration of an extraordinary soul. Let me first say, I’m a professional communicator. I’m a writer by trade, and I work with words everyday. Yet today, as I stand here before you… I have no words. I have no words to express the shock, the sorrow, and the profound loss we have all been experiencing since getting that phone call on Friday afternoon. Yes, we’ve been here so many times over the past 3 years. We are all still grieving from the loss of our mother and father. But Martin’s death has shifted our universe. Our parent’s deaths’ were tragic, but not unexpected. But Martin is supposed to be here with us, at the center of this Band of Brothers. We are supposed to go through our entire lives together, to lean on each other now that our parents are gone. He is supposed to be here to laugh and cry with us as we age. I simply have no words. But I do have faith. Our faith tells us that while we may not be able to understand why someone who loved life as much as Martin did should be taken away from us so soon. Our faith tells us that God has a greater plan for Martin. And believe me, it is going to be big. Because, as we all know, Martin was never subtle. Martin always did things in a big way. If you had a baby, Martin couldn’t bother with cute little teddy bears. He always brought the giant life-sized stuffed animals. His Easter baskets put the Easter bunny to shame, and his Christmas gift couldn’t fit under the tree. Martin always went big, so I am sure he’s sitting down with God right now discussing his new role in heaven. I’m sure Martin has his pad of paper and he’s jotting down his big plan in his famously atrocious handwriting that even God can’t read. You know he’s trying to convince God to make sure those all-to-important swing states come through for his candidate in November. And you know he’s expressing his displeasure with the way his beloved Fighting Irish have been performing this season. I’m sure God is getting an earful right now, because as we all know, Martin could talk. He had an opinion on just about any subject, and he loved sharing it with anyone who would listen. He was the Cliff Clavin of trivial minutia, and he could talk his case until you finally gave up and just said, “Ok Martin, you’re right.” He talked big, and he dreamed big. His suppressed desire from his high school yearbook was: “To reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” He never made it to presidency, but as one of his dearest friends told me this week, “If more of our leaders thought the way Martin did, we would have world peace.” That’s because, in a world of hate, Martin was profound love. In a world of greed, Martin was always giving. In a world of wars and conflict, Martin was unifying. He had a way of bringing people together. He connected with people—and had a way of connecting people to each other. It was one of his greatest gifts, and without it, this world is a much sadder place. Martin lived for social gatherings, earning him the nickname, “Party Marty” by some. Imagine how disappointed he would be to be missing out on this gathering today. He enjoyed being the life of the party, because in a world of Bud Lite, Martin, of course, was always the finest glass of Chardonnay. But perhaps most telling, in a world of sameness, Martin was a bright splash of vivid colors. He is the reason why I am wearing this gaudy tie today. It’s not my personal style, and I’m not sure it’s even appropriate for a funeral; but I took it from his closet, which of course, was filled with equally “interesting” ties. But that’s who Martin was. He was as bright and colorful as the ties he liked to wear. Never afraid to stand out in a crowd. Never happy with the drab, the conventional, or the expected, Martin lived to bring color to the people he touched, and I believe our lives will be a lot less colorful without him. Martin was a kind, generous, gentle, and giving soul. The moment you met him, you instantly liked him. And the moment you got to know him, you instantly loved him. He had a welcoming and a warm smile. I think my brother Manny expressed it best when he said, “His heart was much too big for this place.” And of course, there were those times when you just had to chalk it up to “Marty begin Marty.” We didn’t always “get” Martin, and he sometimes left us scratching our head, or even a palm slap to our foreheads. There are so many stories, and so little time to share them. Many of Martin’s dearest friends have stories dating back 40 plus years. Thank you for being here today. I have witnessed how strong your bond is. You were always there for each other. You are the people who grew up with Martin, but as you know, like Peter Pan, Martin never really grew up. He lived life like he was still in his twenties, and by leaving us so early; he remains forever young in our memories. So, as heartbroken as we are today, we have faith that God has a greater plan for Martin. And I personally believe that God took Martin in the gentlest and most welcoming way imaginable. In my mind, as Martin sat there on his couch with his feet up, watching the game, I know two beautiful and nurturing angels visited him and sat down on either side of him. Then Manny and Irene wrapped their loving arms around their boy as they each gentle whispered into his ear, saying, “Martin, its time for you to come home with us.” How could he have pass up such a beautiful reunion as that? So Godspeed, Martin, and please give Mom and Dad hugs from us. We all love you, and we’ll try to splash some of your colorfulness around this place, until we all meet again.