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On May 5th, 2021, BIO-WEST lost a great friend, accomplished scientist, business partner, mentor, but most importantly, a part of our family: Martin Ruell Heaney, III, known to most as Marty. Here is a fond remembrance and farewell, as told by BIO-WEST Principle and Marty’s good friend, Ed Oborny. 

Marty always celebrated life and thus it was fitting that he headed out to the bay one final time on Cinco De Mayo! Foundational facts that describe Marty were his love for family and his commitment to hard work. Marty cherished his loving wife, beautiful daughters, and close-knit family. Fresh out of college in the mid-90s, Marty started his scientific career as a $9/hour biologist and his hard work, commitment, and dedication to natural resources, led to him being invited to join BIO-WEST in the mid-2000s. Marty opened the BIO-WEST Rosenberg branch office out of his home and built that office into a diverse and thriving business on his journey to becoming a BIO-WEST owner. But that is only part of the story, as those of you blessed to have known Marty can truly appreciate the following characteristics!

The Eel Slayer “TES” – Marty’s self-proclaimed nickname after capturing the largest American Eel on our Sabine River adventure.

Naturalist:
I personally met Marty in the mid-1990s upon his graduation from Southwest Texas State University and subsequent embarking on a career path in biology. We would walk through the woods on a project site and Marty’s passion for the outdoors could not be silenced. He would ask, “Did you hear that”, “Did you see that”, “Did you know that if I tore this leaf in half it would be sticky”, etc., etc. He would then proceed to usually catch whatever he heard or saw, and show it to whoever he was with (young or old). His Frost Street office décor was a testament to the natural resources that he loved. The Texas Coast was his home and I have never truly seen someone more in their element than when he was skipping across the bay with a smile of excitement on his face for his next adventure. It was a true blessing to work with and learn from TES.

Innovator:
Talent and creativity were interwoven into Marty’s very being. Marty could take apart and put back together (fixed) pretty much anything you let him put his hands on. I personally witnessed him take apart and fix a boat eletrofishing generator on the banks of a Texas river, after an alleged sinking incident. To continually enhance BIO-WEST’s capabilities, Marty custom built numerous pieces of equipment which of course had to have clever names. Just a few examples include: the “larvinator” (a double-sided, net collection system that gave area plankton no chance); the “RBASS” (a riffle beetle aquifer simulation system that mimicked water flow through a karst aquifer for endangered invertebrate research); and “BW AquaDucks” (tricked out john boats with motorcycle tires and steering system so BIO-WEST fisheries biologists could traverse by land or sea). And the list goes on and on. Got a hunch he is tinkering with something right now up in heaven.

Hospitality:
Marty was an avid hunter and fisherman, for sure. However, if you have made it this far in this write-up, you know Marty was the most humble and gracious host, a novice or experienced hunter or fisherman could ask for. No doubt educated by Brother at a very young age, Marty, would endlessly bait hooks and change lures (for young and old). And no trip was complete until Marty took his signature picture of the haul (and of course, with Marty’s guiding there would always be one) at the end of the day. Marty was a natural born “Smile maker”. It is truly unbelievable how many lives Marty touched by his kind heart.

Friend:
Marty had an incredible passion for life which reflected in our many discussions on his beautiful family, BIO-WEST, ecology, fishing holes, Simms waders, boat and car motors, inventions he and Brother were scheming on, Ronnie Milsap songs, and just about every other topic you can think of. Those conversations will be truly missed but I am comforted knowing you will always be looking over my shoulder in a BIO-WEST cap! Till we meet again, my friend!!

Martin Ruell Heaney, III (Marty) will be forever missed by his BIO-WEST family but his legacy will live on!