Marty Ravellette

Marty Ravellette (December 18, 1939 – November 12, 2007) was born in Goodland, Indiana without arms. He attended Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania as an infant. The family then moved to Oceanside, California, where he was stopped for speeding in February 1963. The notoriety that resulted introduced him to JoBeth Johnson, who soon became his wife, and they moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon. After initially belonging to various denominations of Christianity, Ravellette and several of the family converted to the Baháʼí Faith between 1967 and 1970.

Later divorced, Ravellette moved to Teaneck, New Jersey and then Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he rescued an elderly woman in a burning car and again won national recognition. His life is featured in a 2004 documentary, No Arms Needed: A Hero Among Us. Ravellette died in an auto accident in Eli Whitney, North Carolina three years later, in 2007.

Early life and education Marty Ravellette was the fourth child of the farm family of Ernest D. Ravellette and Laurene Ravellette (née Frohreich). He was born without arms. who was an inspiration to Ravellette. Ravellete was known to entertain people with his use of feet and body to do tricks.

While there, Ravellette attended Allentown public schools, starting with Jefferson Elementary School and then South Mountain Junior High. At age 11, Ravellette suffered burns from a fire accident. At age 16, Ravellette rejoined his family partly because he was a discipline problem, but he had in fact been initially barred from attending the public high school by the contemporary public school principle equating physical handicaps with mental handicaps.

After graduating circa 1957, Ravallette and his family moved to Oceanside, California and Ravellette ran away from home. In San Diego, Ravellette began to work in a variety of jobs. After taking his driver's license, the officer noticed that Ravellette's foot had handed him the license. After Ravellette proved that he had a valid driver's license, the officer let Ravellette go with a citation. The incident was covered nationally by Associated Press and was read by JoBeth Johnson in Florida, who struck up a long-distance relationship with Ravellette that grew to a marriage after Ravellette moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon in 1963. They lived there a number of years; he, a member of the Church of Christ and she a Baptist. Together they had a daughter, Nancy (who was born with arms.) and a son who died as a child in a car accident.

In 1967, and Ravellette also converted to the religion in 1967. and wife were visible serving in the religion and the Ravellettes had a second child May 21, 1970, after they moved to Eugene, Oregon. Marcus Husayn Ravellette - "Husayn" is a name recognized in Baháʼí circles as the birth-name of the founder, Baháʼu'lláh. However, on June 11, 1975, Marcus was killed in an automobile accident and buried as a Baháʼí. while running a landscaping business, Hands on Landscaping. He again gained national fame when he rescued an elderly lady from a burning vehicle. He appeared on several national television shows, including Discovery Channel, and other shows though initially he had sought no publicity. and began a period of reconnecting with his family while at the same time he met his future wife. He also began to speak publicly, including as a frequent guest at a journalism class of Chuck Stone and elsewhere,

On November 12, 2007, Ravellette was in a car accident in southern Alamance County, North Carolina at Highway 87, where Eli Whitney, North Carolina is located. He failed to yield to an oncoming lumber truck and was ejected from the vehicle. He was not wearing a seatbelt because of his disability and died later that day at UNC Hospital just a few days after another Baháʼí was similarly killed in an accident at the same intersection. He is buried at Maplewood Cemetery.

On June 26, 1999, he was named the 28th honoree on the Wall of Honor at the Good Shepherd Home in Allentown, Pennsylvania

In 2004, his life was featured in a documentary film, No Arms Needed: A Hero Among Us, produced and directed by Bill Hayes and written by Kirk Streb, and shown on the Discovery Channel on May 8, 2004 and elsewhere.