‘When Calls The Heart’ Star Shares Moving Memorial to His Dad: ‘I Will Carry Him With Me’

Fans and friends are rallying around “When Calls The Heart” star Martin Cummins, who revealed late on March 5, 2025, that his dad had died three days prior. Cummins, who has played Henry Gowen on the Hallmark Channel series since 2014, shared a touching tribute on social media to his father, once a prominent politician in Canada.

“I was never his friend,” Cummins began in his caption of a black and white photo of his dad. “He was always my Father. He took that seriously. He told me, direct, in my early twenties, ‘You’ll have lots of friends in your life but only one father. I will always tell it to you straight.’ And so he did.”

Martin Cummins Shared Touching Memories of His Dad, Who Was 82

Cummins’ father, John Martin Cummins, died on March 2 — 10 days shy of his 83rd birthday — at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, British Columbia, according to the Vancouver Sun. He worked as a commercial fisherman and as a teacher, per the outlet, but was also a Member of Parliament (MP).

The Vancouver Sun said John Cummins got into federal politics in 1993 and won six straight elections, eventually becoming the B.C. Conservative Party leader. But his famous son didn’t focus much on his father’s professional accomplishments in his tribute.

Rather, Cummins poetically shared past visions of his dad he holds close, writing, “Through the doorway of the cabin, under a single, swinging, bare, light bulb. I can see him at the helm. Standing tall against the darkness and the driving rain. There’s a busted up transistor radio that miraculously could get Boston, it’s playing jazz.”

Shifting to another memory, Cummins wrote, “There he is, in that pool hall on Ventura Boulevard That first time I shot stick with him. He said he’d played a little when he was younger, then he broke, and cleared the table.”

Cummins then lovingly shared, “I see his hands when I look at mine. The hands he had when I was a kid. His hands gave me confidence. I felt safe, in his hands.”

“My cousin wrote me the morning he passed,” Cummins added, “and she described him as, a man with integrity, and so he was. Loved by his family. Respected by his peers. I will carry him with me the rest of the way. John Martin Cummins of Georgetown, Ontario has left this place. March 12 1942 – March 2 2025”

‘When Calls The Heart’ Stars Share Their Sympathies With Martin Cummins

Cummins’ father had not been well for several years before his death. His wife Sue told the Vancouver Sun that he’d suffered a “spinal stroke” in August 2020 that paralyzed him from the waist down.

“He’s never walked since,” she told the outlet, adding that, “he’s lived with pain for 4 1/2 years.”

Fans and friends shared their sympathies with Cummins on his post, including some of his “When Calls The Heart” co-stars, including Pascale Hutton, who wrote, “What a beautiful tribute. Sending you love. ❤️”

Amanda Wong commented, “Beautiful words. Thinking of you❤️”

Andrea Brooks added, “Lovely words, Martin. What a legend. 🤍”

Other celebrities “liked” Cummins’ tribute, including “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, and WCTH colleagues Kevin McGarry, Natasha Burnett, and Jaeda Lily Miller. A celebration of life is scheduled for March 29, per the Vancouver Sun.