Mary L. Martinez

Mary L. Martinez was born November 1939 in Platteville, Colo., to her parents, Luis and Tomasa Albarran. Born to migrant farm workers, originally from Mexico, who settled in Greeley, Mary grew up alongside two sisters and two brothers – Carmen, Frank, Tom, and Juanita. As the second youngest, she enjoyed a childhood fondly remembered as having been spent outside, playing endless games with siblings, cousins and fellow neighborhood children. A graduate of Greeley High School, Mary often boasted that she went on to make fish hooks for Wright and McGill. As fortune would have it, she crossed paths with Angel Martinez of Kersey, who would become her lifelong partner. Mary and “Angie” married on December 30, 1961, at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Greeley, and began what would grow into 48 years of marriage, with three children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

The United States Army drafted Angie and the family spent three years in Colorado Springs. While stationed at Ft. Carson, the couple welcomed their oldest son, Michael, in 1962. Following Angie’s military service, the family moved to Longmont, where they had a daughter, Angela, in 1964. They moved to Denver before settling in Westminster, where they had Judi in 1968. Now a family of five, Mary, Angie, and their three children built a lifetime of memories at their home on Raleigh Street. Mary was known to have a heart for service, volunteering in both the community and in the Catholic Church. She served as “Room Mom” at her children’s elementary school, volunteered to help with altar setup and the Rosary club at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and with the food bank at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. She also dedicated over 27 years to the City of Westminster, working as the Building Division Secretary.

It seemed as though Mary was never short on ideas for activities, always with her ear to the ground on the “happenings” around Westminster. Local grand openings and giveaways never went unnoticed, and she would eagerly invite her grandchildren to meet her at Chick-fil-A for morning B-I-N-G-O in the summer (to score coupons), or propose late Wednesday meetings over free pie at Village-Inn. She loved taking her grandchildren to story time at Barnes & Noble, as well as to the library, movies at the Westminster Promenade, lunch, or to the park by her house–a favorite destination where she was always willing to take a turn on the swings. She enjoyed going to Coors Field to watch the Rockies play, often taking the bus to the stadium from 104th/Federal.

There’s nothing Mary loved more than time with her family; seeing Vincente Fernández in concert came at a close second. Road trips to Greeley to visit her sisters were common, along with longer trips to Chicago to see her brothers and their families. She made it a point to attend birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, graduation and Christmas parties, with a habit of contributing a large bowl of frog eye salad at each occasion. And, if your name was on her Caterpillar calendar, you could always count on a Hallmark card arriving in the mail on your birthday. Her last house in Westminster, behind the post office, had an open-door policy and a fridge in the garage stocked with pop and popsicles. It was a gathering place for the Super Bowl, Easter Sunday, and Christmas morning for all of her children and grandchildren. Mary loved company and was always happy to have you stop by, even if only for a little while.

She was a devout Catholic who practiced her faith all of her life. She had a particular love for the Blessed Mother and would pray with her in the afternoons as she listened to the Rosary on tape. She visited several holy sites in her lifetime, including Medjugorje, Mexico City (Our Lady of Guadalupe), Lourdes, France (Our Lady of Lourdes), and the Holy Land. It was Christ’s love for her that moved her, and the mutual love she had for Him was clear as she spent time in daily mass. When asked if she was afraid of death she only said, “No. I just hope Jesus has mercy on me.” That devotion even pierced through the effects of her dementia, as she would sit, stand, kneel and pray the prayers of the mass from memory, even up to the last week before her passing.

Mary will be remembered as a loving and devoted wife, mother, sister, grandma, and friend to so many. Her legacy lives on through her sister Juanita Garcia, sisters-in-law Jay and Mary Albarran, children Michael Martinez (Mary Lou), Angela Martinez-Gonzalez (George), Judi Maestas (Dave), grandchildren Andrew, Elana, Marisa, Jenna, Squeaky (Alexandra), Mikaela, Alicia, John and Michael, great-grandchildren James and Elijah, and countless cousins, nieces and nephews in Colorado Springs, Greeley, Minnesota and Chicago.

A visitation for Mary will be held Wednesday, September 10, 2025 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Parish, 11385 Grant Dr, Northglenn, CO 80233. A prayer service will occur Wednesday, September 10, 2025 from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM. A funeral service will occur Thursday, September 11, 2025 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Immaculate Heart of Mary. A reception will follow from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. A graveside service will occur Thursday, September 11, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM at Linn Grove Cemetery, 1700 Cedar Ave, Greeley, CO 80631.