Guadalupe Martinez Jr.

On the 28th of February, 1939, Guadalupe Martinez, Jr came screaming into the world to his proud parents, Guadalupe A. and Clara Martinez. Junior, as he was affectionately referred to by his family, began his competitive race through this world with his brothers, Ramiro Martinez (Florinda), Mario Martinez (Gloria), Eluterio (Julia), and under the watchful eyes of his sisters, Beatrice (Alfonso) Cardenas, Olga (Bill) Carbajal and Sara (Julian) Lopez. Thanks to his brothers and his interest in track and football he was able to get himself out of quite a few scrapes as a kid. And many more thanks should go to his sisters, who quickly bandaged up even more scrapes as he grew into a young man.

Later, after earning his GED, Junior would join the US Marine Corps and begin his obsession with being early - at a minimum of an hour early - to anything and everything. While many may believe this is a good habit to partake in, it also brought with it a slightly less attractive reaction when he ran into others who didn’t share his belief in being an hour early was “on time”.

After completing his stint with the Marines, Junior came home to his family to take a breather and decide what was next. Junior began hanging out with friends, where he met Henry Hernandez, who would later become his brother-in-law. During this time, Junior earned the nickname Mara - short for marranito (gingerbread pig). The exact reason for this new nickname has unfortunately, been lost to time and that is a real tragedy since it’s probably an excellent story.

Eventually, Lupe - to polite society - began working for Nueces News Agency where he met Concepcion Vargas (Connie or Concha). They began dating and soon he decided she was the one for him. But it almost didn’t happen. On the day they went for their marriage certificate Connie found out that Lupe was not the same age as her, but was actually 3 years younger than her. It was a tense moment for Lupe, but she agreed to marry him after all.

Lupe’s belief in being on time and his dedication to hard work led him and Connie to bring into this world 4 children within 2 years. Yes, that is actually possible. First to show up was Antonio Martinez in January of year one. Second was Adrian (Norma) Martinez in December of year one. Third and Fourth, came through together in November of year two - Victor Martinez and Veronica (Jonathan) Weaver. They decided for the following three to hopscotch through the years instead. Raul Martinez came in year four; Maria Martinez arrived with Hurricane Celia in year seven and the baby, Anna Martinez arrived in year 10.

Through all the babies, Lupe earned a job as an aviation mechanic with the Corpus Christi Army Depot, which provided very well for the family. And his dedication to hard work and being on time showed up again as the other personnel started letting others know that the base wasn’t officially opened until Lupe unlocked the doors.

To help relax some, Lupe joined the Trio Serafin with his friends, Burro and Chapa, and thus began his musical journey of being called by family and friends in the middle of the night to come sing at their various get togethers. Oftentimes, he would just go in some bermuda shorts and a white t-shirt and would be partially asleep as he sang out the popular rancheras to the slightly intoxicated, happy listeners.

After 42 years with CCAD, Lupe retired in 2005 and began the retirement portion of his life. Retirement meant time to go fishing with his baby, Anna and calling his other children and extended family to check in with them to see how they were doing. But the most enjoyment he experienced came from playing scratch-offs. If he won, Anna received a phone call to “rub it in” that he’d won more than her that day. Veronica and Maria got in on the act by asking, “Y yo?” so they could join in on the fun as well.

In the early morning of Saturday, Sept 14, 2024, Lupe was found with his dog, Darcy on his lap. He’d passed peacefully in his sleep with a lotto ticket for $100 waiting to be cashed.

A public visitation for Guadalupe will be held Tuesday, September 24, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Funeraria Del Angel, 4901 Everhart Road, Corpus Christi, Texas 78411. A holy rosary will occur Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 7:00 PM, also at Funeraria Del Angel. A funeral service will occur Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 9:00 AM, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 5830 Williams, Corpus Christi,Texas 78412. A rite of committal and interment will occur Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, 9974 I-37, Corpus Christi, Texas 78410. Lunch and reception to follow at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Hall, 5830 Williams, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412.