‘Keep Grant’s candle burning.’ Scholarship honors Columbus State grad’s life

After their son died at the age of 24 due to complications following a heart transplant, Phil and Amy Martin of Harris County are honoring his memory with a scholarship fund to further the service that defined his life.

The Grant C. Martin Scholarship — a $1,000 annual award to an active leader in Columbus State University’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry — combines Grant’s commitment to service and passion for education.

It’s a way for people to “keep Grant’s candle burning,” Phil told the Ledger-Enquirer.

“The BCM was hugely important to him, … so we just thought a really good way to remember him would be to set up a scholarship in his name where somebody in the BCM leadership … is able to fund their mission trip,” he said.

Grant Martin died in 2024 after spending 45 days in the ICU. His parents described him as an “old soul” who loved life and always wanted to entertain people.

He was heavily involved at the BCM, serving as president in 2021 and participating in several mission trips and efforts throughout his college career. He was planning on becoming a high school English teacher and had earned his diploma three weeks before his heart transplant. CSU celebrated his graduation with a personalized ceremony at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Amy said she and her husband hope students with Grant’s drive and dedication receive this scholarship.

“We feel like it needs to go to someone that really has a heart for witnessing others, seeing them come to Christ and going on missions and having that servant heart,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer.

The scholarship application will open for the first time in the fall. Royce Railey, director at the BCM, will review and endorse applications before sending them to the Martins. A winner will be selected in the spring so they can use the funds for their summer projects.

Mission trips are expensive, so the scholarship will alleviate some of the associated costs, Phil said.

“If Grant were here, … he would say, ‘Every little penny helps.’ Especially those [who] are going overseas or even if you’re going just across the country and you’re going to be gone for eight weeks, every little penny is going to help you with those expenses,” Phil said.

Overcoming grief

Phil and Amy said the year following Grant’s passing has been tough but not always bad.

“The nature of grief is some days I wake up and I feel great and going about my day, and there’s nothing that triggers it,” Phil said. “The,n all of a sudden, a grief wave just hits, and I’m crumpled on the floor crying my eyes out because I miss him.”

Focusing on Heaven and reminding themselves that they will see Grant in the future helps, said Phil, who is a high school bible teacher at Calvary Christian School. Amy is starting her first year there as a second-grade teacher after retiring from the Muscogee County School District.

“A friend of mine said, … ‘You’ve got more days with Grant in the future than you do in the past,” Phil said. “Other people have talked to me and said, ‘You’re still here because you still have a purpose. You still have work to do here before we move on to the afterlife.’ And so that’s the little hope I cling to.”

To honor that purpose, the Martins have poured their efforts into establishing the scholarship fund, hoping to help students like Grant for as long as they can.

The scholarship is not yet fully funded, so the Martins still are accepting donations. As of Aug. 8, they had raised $7,700 from 21 donors toward their $25,000 goal.

Teddie Ussery, a friend of the Martin family and a Columbus State University Foundation board member, said they are well on their way to officially endowing the scholarship. She said watching the Martins navigate the past year has been amazing.

“They have not stopped one minute,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. “They have obviously had a deep loss, but they have regrouped, and their faith has certainly driven them and guided them through this process. I think a part of their healing is to set this up and have Grant’s memory live on.”

For more information about the scholarship and to donate, visit givecampus.com/schools/ColumbusStateUniversity/the-grant-c-martin-scholarship.