It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Martha A. Cain Anderson passed away on the morning of December 28, 2016, surrounded by close family. A few weeks later her beloved husband of over 50 years, James O. Anderson, passed away on January 14, 2017 surrounded by family as well. Martha and Jim are both survived by a daughter, Heather Latch, two sons-in-lawRobert Latch and John Chamberlin, and two grandchildren Anderson Jacob, 20, a student studying history education at Rowan University and Lacey, 18, a student studying journalism and screenwriting at DePaul University. Martha also leaves behind an older brother, Jim Cain of Monessen, Pennsylvania and his wife Jenis, and their 4 children and many grandchildren. Jim is survived by one older sister, Reita Anderson, of Sumter, South Carolina and her daughter Rnita and her children.  They are also survived by numerous nieces and nephews in addition to their adopted daughter Hee Young Kim Park and her husband Chan Jin Park and their two sons Derek and Daniel. 

Martha was born at her family’s home in Monessen, Pennsylvania on June 15, 1945 to her parents Jesse Lee Cain and Helen Francis Daugherty Cain. She was the second youngest of her 7 siblings. Martha graduated at the top of her class at Monessen High School, class of 1963.

Jim was born in Somerset Township, Pennsylvania on August 3, 1945 to his parents Otto Frank Anderson and Ethel Marjorie Irey Anderson. He has one older sister. 

Jim and Martha met when they both attended California University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a degree in English education and he graduated with a degree in biology education. They married in 1966 and had one daughter the following year. 

From there, Martha and Jim lived an extraordinary life together. Jim was an avid hunter and white-water rafter while Martha had a knack for sewing and storytelling. Jim also had a love for computers and technology while Martha was an avid reader. They shared a mutual respect for the value of education and never turned down a learning or teaching opportunity. 

They led wondrous careers that took them around the world. They began their journey together in Star City, West Virginia where Jim got his doctorate in genetics and cryobiology and Martha worked as a lab technician. They then ventured toHokkaido, Japan where she taught various courses at the international school while he worked on research at the Hokkaido Institute. From there they made it to State College, Pennsylvania as Jim did grant research for low-temperature biology and Martha worked again as a lab technician. In Lake Placid, New York he continued his low-temperature research at W. Alton Jones Cell Science Center while she worked as a lab manager at Trudeau Institute. In Tucson, Arizona they both worked at the University of Arizona where Martha was the Director of Risk Management and Safety and Jim worked with low-temperature biology and then ended up working in construction planning as IT. When they moved to Laurel Springs, New Jersey and then eventually to Mullica Hill, New Jersey Martha was the Vice President of Safety and Security at Thomas Jefferson University where she then retired from South Jersey Health System while Jim worked in institutional research at Rowan University. 

Through these adventures they met many people and made countless, lifelong friends around the world. Both Martha and Jim had infectious personalities and were truly loved by many.They were always quick to share memories of the amazing people they had met throughout their life together and looked back on their lives and their friends fondly and with full hearts. 

In addition to the love they had for those they had met in life, perhaps no love was greater than the love they had for each other. A love built from mutual respect, a shared sense of humor, and an overwhelming devotion to one another. Jim and Martha were the true depiction of an unbreakable love, soulmates who were lucky enough to find each other young and live a big, colorful life together. 

I had the privilege to witness that love firsthand, every day of my life, and now I know without a doubt what love really is. Anyone who knew them or were lucky enough to call them friends knows that fact as well. 

These two amazing, brilliant, one of a kind people will be missed terribly but their impact will last for generations to come as the people whose lives they touched will share those memories with others. 

To all of Jim and Martha’s friends and those that loved them around the world, just know, that they loved you too. 

To everyone who is having a hard time with their passing, just remember, that they are together, just as they are meant to be.