I am so blessed for having known Carlos Martinez. Carlos was a trusted friend, colleague, and inspiration. 
   Carlos was a modern-day Renaissance man, born in Mexico to Cuban refugee parents. At various times in his life you could find him playing chess as a child with the old men in a Miami plaza, recovering from cocaine addiction as a young man in New York City, renovating bathrooms in Hawaiian houses to the Japanese-style, working as an archeologist on the Nachez Chase Parkway, a St. Augustine dig for history, and the Miami Ring, developing the nation’s first data system for tracking state-funded substance abuse prevention program processes and outcomes, and assisting at the Governor Jeb Bush’s Office of Drug Control. In his retirement, Carlos served Indian tribes of Oklahoma as their manager of federal grants and was able to show how their programs reduced tribal suicide rates. I know that there is more to this story and probably more that I don’t know about. 
   Carlos was a compassionate landlord. He owned several properties for low-income citizens. His policy was that after each year of on-time rent payments, the rent would be reduced by $5 per month.
   Carlos was a compassionate animal and nature lover. I am sure that the vet bills of his dogs kept the “poor house” on his horizon. He knew so much about native plant cultivation and care – and water hydrolics.
   There was so much more to this quiet and deferential man. Carlos and I spoke about writing a book about his amazingly diverse life. When I visited him in the hospital before the surgery, he said he had started to work out the structure of the chapters. I grieve for losing Carlos, he was my best friend (as I am sure that others think this about their relationship with Carlos), but also quite sad that we won’t get a more complete picture of the amazing struggles and successes of this amazing life.

Carlos, you are more than a friend and colleague to be missed so very much.  You acted as a compass that always pointed in a good, generous, and ethically sound direction.  You altered how I did things in ways that made me better...even when those discussions were sometimes frustrating! Many people owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you specifically for your work and generally for your gentle and sharing nature.  It will not be easy moving forward without you.

Carlos and I worked together at DCF for about 10 years. He was our lead in evaluating our substance abuse prevention programs, and helped manage our statewide Communities that Care survey. I was blessed to reconnect with Carlos the last couple of years for a monthly Boys Lunch with several of Carlos’ friends. He was proud, grateful, and humble of the work he was doing with Native American Tribes. We would share books to read ( William Kent Krueger) and Carlos’ were much longer than mine, e.g. Chernow biography of Ulysses Grant, over 1000 pages. I passed on that one! I considered Carlos a learned, Renaissance man. Most importantly, he was a gracious, warm, caring person, and a  dear friend. We will miss you Carlos at our Boys Lunches.

Carlos was a wonderful colleague during the years that he was at DCF and I was at the U of Miami. He was always helpful, supportive, and had a wonderful sense of humor. We remained friends after I moved away from Florida in 2007 and, thankfully, I got a chance to see him again 2 years ago. I will miss his warmth, intelligence, sense of humor and his empathy for people in need. His passing is a loss to the community.

My good friend Carlos, words cannot describe the feeling of loss that I have for you at this time. The many hours we spent working together and sharing thec work that you enjoyed so much. You gave so much of yourself and of the knowledge of writing grants. I will treasure that experience shared with me, so that others can also benefit. 
Ura

I have known Carlos since we met 50+ years ago.
Carlos was a fine friend to both persons and animals.
A better human being I have not known.
Carlos, you will be missed.

My deepest condolences to Carlos’s family and loved ones. Carlos was not only a trusted colleague but a dear friend for over 11 years. His kindness, patience, and wisdom touched so many lives. Through his work in substance use and suicide prevention and many SAMHSA grants, he helped bring critical funding, healing, and hope to tribal communities across Oklahoma.

Carlos shared openly about his friends and family, and it was clear how much they meant to him. His lived experiences shaped his views, his empathy, and the compassion he showed to everyone he met. He cared deeply for his animals—especially his dogs—and carried that same love and gentleness into his work and relationships.

He had a way of encouraging others, often reminding me, “It’s gonna be all right, you’ll see.” And with his humor and perspective, he’d say, “We’re cooking with gas,” and “The perfect is the enemy of the good.”

I started calling him Padrino, because that’s what he truly was to so many—a godfather of wisdom, strength, and care. Carlos was a valued friend and colleague to countless tribal people, and his legacy will continue through the lives he touched.

💙🤍💙🪶💫 Rest in peace, my friend. You will never be forgotten.

OBITUARIO

Carlos Alberto Martinez

11 octubre, 1946 – 30 septiembre, 2025

Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home

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