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Vail Daily obituary: John L. Martinez, 1923-2013

Special to the Daily
obituaries@vaildaily.com
Vail, CO Colorado

John L. Martinez, 90, of Red Cliff since 1942, passed away on Monday at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood.

He was born on January 2, 1923, in Los Pinos, N.M., to Tomas and Paublita (Ruybal) Martinez. John married Jane D. (Medina) Martinez who preceded him in death in 1990.

Prior to retirement in 1979, John was employed as mine foreman at New Jersey Zinc Co. in Gilman and was also a small business owner in Red Cliff. He was active in the Democratic Party, the Red Cliff Fire Department, was a former director of Red Cliff Water Works and a former council member for the town of Red Cliff. He worked on bringing the first television transmission to Red Cliff and was also a former secretary and treasurer for the AFL/CIO. John especially enjoyed outdoor activities including fishing, hiking, hunting, four wheeling and snowmobiling. He also enjoyed collecting rocks and antiques.

John is survived by his daughters Diana Cisneros and Judy Pena and Phillip; his sons John L. Martinez, Jr. and Dana, Billy Martinez and wife Nancy and Rick Martinez; brothers Harold Martinez and Manuel Martinez; sister Mary Valdez; grandchildren Veronica Ross, Dr. Rick Pena, Juan Pena, James Martinez, Justin Martinez, John M. Martinez, Brittany Martinez, Ricci Jo Martinez, Rumaldo Cisneros and Marika Cisneros; and 15 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, mother and father, three sisters and six brothers.

A visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday at First Presbyterian Church, W. 3rd Street and McWethy Drive in Leadville. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, Leadville. Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Red Cliff, Colorado immediately following funeral services at approximately 12 p.m. with a reception to follow at the Red Cliff Community Center. Bailey-Kent Funeral Home of Leadville is assisting the family with arrangements. For floral information, please contact Bailey-Kent Funeral Home. To leave a condolence for the family, please visit http://www.baileykentfuneralhome.com.


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