Harvey Claud Martin, Sr., 79, of Mabelvale, Arkansas, passed away August 15, 2026, in Benton, Arkansas.

Claud was born September 29, 1946, in Morganton, Arkansas, to Harvey Otto and Lillian Wright Martin. He spent his early years in Van Buren County before his family moved to Mabelvale, where he attended Mabelvale High School.

As a young man, Claud worked as a house painter and enjoyed hunting. Before illness changed the course of his life, he built the little house in Mabelvale that became his family's home. He could not have known how important that house would become, but it gave his family a good, sturdy home and the security of knowing they would always have a place to live. It still stands.

In 1967, Claud married the love of his life, Lena Evelyn Martin, in Benton. They shared thirty-one years of marriage until Lena's death in 1998.

Claud developed a serious illness as a young man that affected much of the remainder of his life. The illness changed many things he was able to do, but it never changed some of the most important things about who he was.

Claud never lost his faith. As a young man, he received Jesus Christ into his heart as his Lord and Savior and was baptized. He was a longtime member of Mabelvale Missionary Baptist Church, and through more than fifty years of illness and difficulty, his faith remained.

Claud was cared for at the Arkansas Health Center by loving nurses and staff members on the Aspen and Willow units. His family is grateful for the kindness and compassion they showed him throughout the years.

Claud was kind and generous, and he loved people. He did not have much of his own, but what he had, he shared. Jay would bring his dad treats, only to discover that Claud had given most of them to another patient.

He loved to laugh and talk, eat watermelon, listen to music, and work in the garden. He especially enjoyed breakfast at the table of his sister and brother-in-law, Betty Sue and Richard Squires, before working in the garden with Jay. He also treasured breakfast mornings with his sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Bill Voss. Claud loved frying peanuts in a pan, and they were delicious if you could stand all the salt he put on them.

Claud loved animals and became especially attached to his son's family's goldendoodle, Sarah, who loved him too. Claud, Jay, and Sarah spent countless hours riding around together.

Music brought Claud particular joy, especially music from the 1950s and 1960s, the Beatles, and rhythm and blues. During those rides, Jay would sometimes ask his dad what song he wanted to hear. The answer was almost always the same: “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals. Jay would put it on, and they would keep riding.

Most of all, Claud loved his family. He was proud of his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters and treasured the family that surrounded him. His life reminds those who loved him that a person's life cannot always be measured by accomplishments, positions, or possessions. Sometimes a life is better measured by faith that endures, kindness freely given, laughter shared, and love that remains.

Claud was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Lena Evelyn Martin; his parents, Harvey Otto and Lillian Wright Martin; his sister, Betty Sue Squires; and his brother, James M. Martin. He is survived by his son, Harvey Claud “Jay” Martin, Jr., and wife, Dawn; granddaughters Hallie, Karis, and Sloane Martin; sister, Mary Lou Voss; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Visitation will be Friday, August 21 from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Ashby Funeral Home in Benton. A celebration of Claud's life will be Saturday, August 22 at 10:00 a.m. at First Assembly of God in North Little Rock, with Rev. Rod Loy and Rev. Jay Martin officiating. Burial will follow at 11:30 a.m. at Summit Cemetery in Benton.

Pallbearers are Gabriel Decker, Mark Dixson, Malcolm Jones, Rex Martin, Lamar Taylor, John Paul Yarberry, Paul Yarberry, and Larry Farrow.

Claud loved “Amazing Grace” and treasured the promise of Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

—Romans 8:28 (KJV)