Martha O Coronado

Born: March 16, 1930, Roseville, CA Passed away: April 29, 2011 Roseville, CA. Martha was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Manuel Coronado and by their son David.

She is survived by her son Robert Coronado of Washington, D.C., her brother Joe Ojeda of Roseville, CA, sisters Rachel Rincon of Citrus Heights, CA, Irene Teran of Arizona, and Angie Hume of Roseville, CA, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Martha was the fifth youngest of nine children. Raised during the difficult years of the Great Depression, she overcame many family hardships. Three years after graduating from high school, Martha met and married Manuel Coronado, of Citrus Heights. Together they built their own home in Citrus Heights and raised two sons, David and Robert.

In 1987, Martha retired from the civil service of the U.S. Air Force after 27 years. She also previously worked for the State Board of Equalization for five years.

Martha took several courses at American River College, including courses on real estate management, gardening, literacy instruction, and music.

Martha was a humanitarian who believed that all peoples lives have value. Throughout her life she helped a variety of persons in distress, including the homeless, as well as tutoring adult literacy students. She worked as a real estate investor restoring homes and as a preservationist working tirelessly to try to preserve the historic Alhambra Theater, which was located in downtown Sacramento. She also believed in protecting the environment and was a member of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, and other environmental organizations.

From a very young age Martha had a great love of plants and a great interest in gardening and her gardens were widely admired. Her garden and aviary were profiled in a 1989 edition of Sunset magazine and she was a longtime supporter of the U.C. Berkeley Botanical Garden in Berkeley, CA.

Martha and Manuel enjoyed traveling and visited Europe several times, including a very special trip in 1984, with their son David as their guide for an entire month.

Martha enjoyed following politics and was an admirer of several politicians and occasionally sponsored political fund raisers in her home. She was very grateful for her lifelong friend and cousin Madeline Gonzalez with whom she traveled and shared so many life experiences, and they loved to discuss politics they tried to solve the worlds problems.

A memorial mass will be celebrated at St. Clare Catholic Church (1950 Junction Blvd. at Baseline Road, Roseville, CA; Tel: (916) 772-4717) on Thursday May 5, 2011, at 11:00 A.M., with a reception immediately following the service in the church hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Marthas memory to: The League to Save Lake Tahoe (955 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150; www.keeptahoeblue.org; (530) 541-5388); or to the U.C. Botanical Garden at Berkeley (200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley, CA 94720-5045; www.botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu, (510) 643-2755).