Viola Emily Martinez

Viola Emily Valdez was born on November 28, 1940. She is the third child of Valerie and John or Juan Valdez. She has one older sister, Dolores, and brother Richard. Richard died as an infant before Mom was born. Their young family suffered another tragedy when Viola was one. Her mother, Valerie, died of tuberculosis, which was a common, incurable disease at the time. Viola carried the grief of never knowing her mother.

When Viola was eight, Juan, her beloved “Daddy” also died of tuberculosis. He was an infantryman in WWI. Viola adored her Daddy, and always said the day he died was the worst day of her life. She described him as the kindest, most gentle man with a beautiful smile.

As orphans, Viola and Dolores went to live with their paternal aunt and uncle, Margarita and Tim Sena. Margarita and Tim were rearing two older daughters, Marge and Frances, in a small house in the Swansea neighborhood of Denver.

Viola attended Swansea Elementary and Cole Jr. High. She graduated from Manual High School in Denver and counted future Denver Mayor, Wellington Webb, as a classmate.

Shortly after high school, Viola met Robert Martinez at the wedding of Albert and Marge Gurule. They married on June 25, 1960 at St. Anne Catholic Church in Arvada and honeymooned in Colorado Springs. In June 2010, the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with several members of their original wedding party.

Bob and VI have two sons, James and Dan.

When James was in grade school, Viola started working as a teacher’s aide for Denver Public Schools (DPS) and enjoyed helping young children thrive in their early years. Viola volunteered as a teacher assistant at her grandchildren’s elementary school for many years.

In the late 1960’s Viola began working as a bookkeeper for DPS Food Services Administration. She held this position for 30 years until she retired.

While working at DPS, Viola ran and was elected to serve on the DPS Credit Union (now Westerra) Board of Directors for several years. As part of her service, Viola and Robert traveled around the country for business meetings, including at least two trips to Hawaii.

Viola and Robert liked to travel in their truck and camper and fly to various US cities. Some of their memorable trips included Niagara Falls, Washington D.C., New York City, Yellowstone and other National Parks, multiple vacations in California, a Panama Canal cruise, and an Alaskan cruise. For several spring breaks Viola accompanied her two grandchildren, Sam and Ayla, and son, James, to Santa Fe/Albuquerque and Four Corners/Grand Canyon N.P.

Other hobbies included knitting and crocheting. Viola made numerous sweaters, hats, and blankets for family members through the years. Viola also liked to cook and offered cooking lessons to all interested family and friends. Many family members requested large pots of red or green chili for family gatherings and Viola was always happy to provide delicious food. Family members would often receive homemade cards from Viola. In later years, Viola would often have a Sudoku book or Word Search book in her hands, “to keep my brain off the bad things.”

Throughout the years, Viola and Dolores held daily FaceTime sessions and Viola also FaceTimed frequently with Sam when he was not sleeping over on Wednesday nights. Viola kept in touch with many family and friends via daily and weekly telephone calls and she always made time to listen to others.

Viola was frequently found cheering enthusiastically for Sam’s tae kwon do tournaments, baseball, basketball, and football games, and for Ayla’s soccer, basketball, baseball, and volleyball games. Many coaches and parents asked if Grandma Vi was coming to the games over the years.

In the late 1980’s and throughout the 1990’s, Viola and Robert were often found square dancing around Colorado and they developed lifelong friendships as part of the Square Halos group.

For over 30 years, Viola was a member of Notre Dame Catholic Church in southwest Denver.

Viola is survived by husband Robert (Bob); sister Dolores; sons James (Lisa) and Dan (Vickie), James and Lisa: grandchildren - Sam and Ayla; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law; numerous nieces and nephews; cousins, and many more extended family and friends.