Sarah Ann Pruitt and Martin “Marty” Douglas Johnston were married Sunday, March 21, 2010 at Regency Garden in Mesa, Ariz.
Sarah is the daughter of John and Nancy Pruitt of Mesa, granddaughter of Vincent and Emma (Saul) Pruitt of “everywhere,” and Robert and Rosa (Moore) Babb of Walnut Creek, Calif. Emma, Sarah’s grandmother, is of Jewish descent. Marty is the son of Michael Johnston and the late Margaret Johnston, of Ventura, Calif., and the grandson of the late Ambrose and Ruth (Martin) Pippinger of Bakersfield, Calif., and the late William and Pauline (Douglas) Johnston, of Shafter, Calif.
Striving to be chasidei umot haolam (a righteous gentile), Marty has shown a long-term commitment to Jewish continuity. He has been employed for over 10 years as the communications specialist at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. He is a long-time volunteer at Congregation Chofetz Chayim, where he studies with Rabbi Israel Becker; helps JCC volunteer Bill Kugelman create Holocaust education displays for the JCC; and helped organize Christians United for Israel in Tucson, working to communicate the group’s mission to the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and other local Jewish agencies.
Sarah is a graduate of Southwestern College in Phoenix, where a favorite focus of her study was Jewish-Christian relations and the failure of the Christian Church to deal with the Holocaust. She is a behavioral health technician at the Blake Foundation.
As part of the ceremony, the couple deposited 10 golden dollar coins into a tzedekah box, with each coin representing a contribution that would be made the following day via online bill-pay. The contributions were sent to charities whose missions are to foster Jewish-Christian relations, promote Jewish continuity, and aid Israel. The list of charities, as well as photo galleries, is available at www.MartyLovesSarah.com.
Bridesmaids were Laura Casey (Sarah’s sister), Amanda Block, and maid of honor Sarah Karasz. Groomsmen were David Studarus, John Gorenfeld, and best man Christopher Daniel Johnston (Marty’s brother). Flower girl and ring bearer were Sarah’s niece and nephew, Elisabeth and John Casey. The Rev. Gavin King, a long-time friend of Marty, officiated. Bill Kugelman gave an invocation before the kosher-style (dairy) dinner.
The couple honeymooned in the Pinetop-Lakeside area and reside in Tucson.
