Pete Martinez's Obituary
Pete Martinez, our dear father, brother, grandfather and great-grandfather, ascended to heaven on August 13. He had just celebrated his 88th birthday on August 1 surrounded by his family. Pete was born in 1934 in Belton, Texas and moved to San Diego in 1957 with his wife, Annie, also of Belton. Pete and Annie were married for 66 years and together they raised five children – Melinda, Alfred, Lorenzo, Elena and Gloria – and a beautiful grandchild, Naomi. In more recent years, they welcomed their adopted daughter, Michelle, into their lives and had enjoyed spending time with their great grandchildren, A.J. and Jude. A longtime masonry worker (representing Local 89), Pete’s hands are forever etched in the community, as he helped construct or modernize many of San Diego’s most well-known landmarks, including Grossmont College, Lindbergh Field, Westgate Plaza Hotel, Naval Air Station North Island, Pine Valley Bridge and sections of Interstate 5. Pete also worked for many years for Neyenesch Printers in downtown San Diego and ran a janitorial services company with Annie until their retirement. Pete loved working with his hands and was considered the family’s “MacGyver.” He loved spending time in his woodshop, carving decoy ducks in precise detail. His many handmade creations are perpetual reminders of his creativity and ingenuity, including the family’s dining room table, shelving, towel racks and Christmas reindeer. He even built playing boards for the game Rummikub, a family favorite. The list goes on and on. While we are deeply saddened Pete is no longer with us, we are grateful he is no longer suffering and celebrate that he has been reunited with Annie in God’s kingdom.
To honor Pete, donations can be made in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – https://www.stjude.org/
Funeral Service: Friday, August 26 at 11 a.m., St. Rita Catholic Church, 5124 Churchward St., San Diego, CA 92114.
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