- Date Of Birth: June 22, 1950
- Date Of Death: November 23, 2016
- State: Texas
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “If a man is called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, Here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.” Jose Luis Martinez was not a streetsweeper but if he was, he would have done it well. Everything Jose did from working, to raising his family, to grilling, he did with gusto so the hosts of heaven and Earth would say well done.
On June 22, 1950, Jose Santos Martinez and Juana Villegas celebrated the birth of a son, little Jose Luis Martinez into this world. He was always a hardworking and loving child to the delight of his parents. Later he would leave home to come to the US, but he always loved to travel to Mexico to see his parents and family. His parents in Mexico were so very proud of their son. Thomas Edison once wrote, “The reason most people do not recognize an opportunity when they meet it is because it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking a lot like hard work.” Jose Luis found the opportunity in the United States by his hard work.
Jose Luis took great pride in his maintenance and sanitation job at the bakery.
Jose Luis Martinez had other passions in his life besides work. Over 34 years ago a cute neighbor caught his eye, Elva Rios. She became the love of his life and together they raised six children. Jose Luis loved and adored his wife, his children and his grandchildren. He lavished attention on his 13 grandkids and relished when they called him “Grandpa”. J.G. Holland once wrote that “God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.” This quote exemplifies what Jose Luis taught his children. He was a firm believer that you had to work hard for everything you received. He taught his children to be self-reliant. As Sidney Phillips wrote, “Men are made stronger on realization that the helping hand they need is at the end of their own arm.” Jose Luis illustrated this quote throughout his life and instilled this virtue in his children.
There was always a lot of fun around the house and some of it was caused by pranks and jokes from Jose Luis. Everyone in the Martinez family knew not to turn their back on their food because Jose Luis might just load it up with salt or sugar and everyone would laugh and laugh when you spit your food across the room. It was ok that your food was ruin, because there was always lots of food. Jose Luis was the ultimate grill master. Everything he grilled was perfection. His family especially loved his hamburgers, fajitas, and breakfast burritos. Jose Luis would also make huge batches of his secret hot sauce that everyone loved. Jose Luis was always feeding everyone and everyone loved to gather around his grill.
Jose Luis also had a love for his church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Sunday, November 27th, 2016, 4:00pm – 8:00pm, Hughes Family Tribute Center
Monday, November 28th, 2016, 11:00am, Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Crown Hill Memorial Park
