David Martz was born in Van Buren, Indiana, and graduated from Van Buren High School in 1962. He attended International Business College in Fort Wayne, graduating in 1965, then attended Huntington College, graduating with a degree in Physical Education in 1968. He received his master's degree from the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne in 1972. Marva Myers was raised in Upland and graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 1964 as a member of its last graduating class before it became Eastbrook High School. David and Marva met through their families and married in 1967 in the original Upland United Methodist Church, then settled in Upland in 1972. Marva served as a secretary in the blueprints department at the Pierce Governor Company from 1965 to 1967, as a secretary for Huntington Community Schools from 1968 to 1970, and as secretary for Eastbrook Community Schools from 1976 to 1988. She was a cheerleader sponsor for Eastbrook for 11 years, served on Upland's Town Council for 20 years from 1992 to 2012 following her father George Myers, and also served as a member of the Jefferson Township Advisory Board. David taught and coached at Southwood High School in Wabash from 1968 to 1972, then taught at Eastbrook High School from 1972 to 1985, where he also coached basketball, football, wrestling, baseball, golf, weights, and track. He was the Eastbrook Junior and Senior High School athletic director from 1985 to 2011, spent a total of 43 years in local education serving Upland and surrounding communities, and was also a driver's education instructor for 51 years. He was a member of many Indiana-based and national athletic associations and served as the Central Indiana Conference secretary from 2005 to 2011. He also belonged to local groups including the Van Buren Masonic Lodge and the Scottish Rite in Fort Wayne, and he called himself a school lunch champion after eating an estimated 7,020 school lunches over the years. David and Marva were among the founding members of the Upland Historical Society, have been members of Upland United Methodist/Pierce Church since 1972, have two sons, Doug and Greg, four grandchildren, and reside in Upland.