PETTY 55th

Thurman and Martha Petty celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Aug. 21, 2015. Thurman served for 30 years as a pastor before retiring because of health in 1990. He wrote 18 books, among them five books on the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, known as the Gate series — “Gate” is in the title of each book (still available as e-books from Pacific Press).

Martha was a registered nurse before retirement and served in many different venues during her years of service. She is also an artist, selling many paintings in the early years.

The Pettys served as Pastor and Nurse on Pitcairn Island in the early 1980s, as documented in the October 1983 issue of National Geographic.

Thurman was also a pastor in a number of US states — Maryland, New Jersey, Wyoming, California, Missouri and Texas. Currently they live in Trout Creek, Mont.

The family includes Lydia and Wayne Newton of Castle Valley, Utah; Joel and Crystal Petty of Burleson, Texas; Esther Jong-Sook Petty-Johnson and her husband, Billy, of Fort Worth, Texas; and 10 grandchildren.