Lena A. Martinez had just recently turned ninety-six years old when she decided it was time for her trip to heaven on June 21, 2020. She went peacefully in her sleep at her “little house” as she would call it. She loved her home and had the best lawn in the neighborhood.
Lena was born in Sopris, Colorado on May 30, 1924. She was raised in a home her father built out of adobe bricks and talked about when she was older, she would help make the bricks to make additional rooms for their growing family. Lena wrote about her great love of baseball and shared that she and the neighborhood children had their own version of a Sandlot in front of her home. Her father and brothers would play baseball games in Trinidad, Colorado which was a great enjoyment for the whole family. She talked about her father carrying around a portable radio to hear baseball games, especially the World Series while on his way to work. His favorite team as well as Lena’s was “the Brooklyn Dodgers.” Lena loved to watch the Colorado Rockies as an adult. She would share that as a child she and her brother, Danny would “pick up coal which fell from the train on the train tracks” to heat their home. She recalled doing homework by the light of an oil lamp and bringing up water from the river, which they had to boil to drink. Lena told of her father being a bootlegger during Prohibition and her and her siblings’ job of “hiding the booze” when needed. On occasion, they would keep back a couple of beer bottles and innocently explain “Dad, we broke two.” Lena could never forget the outhouses which thankfully were quite a way from the house but did not enjoy the trips in the dark. Lena was a hard worker like her parents she worked as an adolescent babysitting, worked checking electric meters. As an adult, worked in an ice cream and candy shop, worked at Woolworth’s in Denver and during World War II, in an ammunition plant. At the end of the war she worked at Schrader Brothers building suitcases and at Gates making fireman hoses. Lena met and married her first husband, Luther Pacheco in Pueblo in March of 1946. She gave birth to three girls, but unfortunately was left a widow when Luther died in an automobile accident. Lena then raised her three girls with the help of her parents, and sisters for thirteen years. During this time Lena worked in retail and in a packing house. With a loan of five hundred dollars from her father, she was able to buy her first home and later an automobile which she taught herself to drive. She then met and married Charlie Martinez and she soon gave birth to her first son. Lena and Charlie traveled to Hawaii, Europe and enjoyed many cruises. They moved two times and were living in a condo when Charlie died. Lena then lived alone for a couple of years before moving back to Highland Ranch (where she had a previous home) and lived there almost seven years.
Lena was preceded in death by her father Eugene Arguello who was a “hard working coal miner.” She would tell of him getting paid every two weeks and he and her mother would go to town to buy groceries. She was preceded in death by her mother Isabelle Arguello, who was a “hard worker and a good cook.” Lena especially enjoyed the Jello and cake her mother would make on Sundays. She also shared about the weekly Sunday evening baths in a “round tub” to be clean and fresh for school on Monday. Lena was preceded in death by six siblings who never made it to adulthood. Jose, Andrew, Manuel, Emma, Dora, and Bobby. We can only imagine the reunion in heaven when Lena came face to face with these young siblings. Lena was preceded in death by her first husband, Luther Pacheco, and later by her husband Charlie Martinez. Lena was preceded in death by her adult brothers, Eloy, Danny, and her sister, Dolores. She is survived by her sister Steffie (Joe) Casias, Pricilla (Joe) Chacon, and Lucille (Kelly) Torres. Lena is survived by daughters, Veronica (Hilberto) Medina, Lillian Mae (LeRoy) Moreno, Rita (Mark) VanDyke and son, Darryl (Karen) Martinez. She is survived by stepchildren, Rosie, Carlos, Warren, and Gloria. Lena is survived by ten grandchildren and several step-grandchildren whom she kept in contact with and would speak of them with great pride. She kept every graduation and wedding announcement for each one. She would Facebook and Skype them on occasion. Lena is survived by nine, soon to be ten great grandchildren and several step great grandchildren. She has one special great-great grandson. She loved on all of them.
Lena was in at home hospice through Namaste for a little over two years. She had a nurse, Laurie Hamilton during this time. Laurie was devoted to Lena and when Lena would take a turn for the worse which happened several times, Laurie was known to say “Lena walks toward the Light and then says, “I don’t think so,” and would come back.” Laurie, the family wants to thank you for your care and devotion. Father Fred was Lena’s chaplain during this time, and he was faithful to visit her and give her communion when he would come. He was a great comfort to Lena. The family wants to thank you for your faithful service to Lena.
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