Rodolfo Villarica Martel was our father, and we are proud of him.

He was born in Victorias, Negros Island , Philippines.

As a boy he saw the devastation brought by World War 2 and
wanted to help develop his nation. In his life, he helped build and design school houses
that were used to educate millions of Filipinos, and which occasionally provided shelter
from Typhoons that visited the islands. He, with his brothers, introduced hand tractors
to local agriculture. He assisted in the early development of the modern Philippine road system. His proposals led to Geothermal Electric Generation throughout his country. He assisted in the diplomacy which opened China and Vietnam to the United States and the Philippines.
He and his wife first suggested what later became the Overseas Filipino Workers
Program that allowed millions of Filipinos to be employed overseas. These achievements,
however, never made him forget the difficulties of the poor. He was a polite Roman Catholic.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years Alita Romualdez Martel,
his brothers Enrique, Antonio, Jose, Ricardo, and by his parents Antonio and Juana Martel.

He is survived by his brother Carlos, by his children John, Hartzell, and Imelda Martel, and by
his grandsons Adrian and Emerson Martel, children of Hilary Martel née Cook.
He was much loved by his in-laws Ferdinand and Imelda.

God will be pleased with the man, and what he did for others.
Visitation for Rodolfo will be on Monday, May 9, 2022 from 1:30 pm until 2:30 pm at the St. Paul Catholic Center, 1413 E. 17th Street Bloomington, IN.
A Mass will be held at 2:30 pm on Monday followed by Entombment at Valhalla Memory Gardens.