A friend to all
Balloon crash victim Mary Martinez’s boundless volunteerism helped folks get back on their feet and ran from fashion to fiestas to fitness
Who was Mary Martinez, other than the wife of Martin Martinez, Albuquerque Police Department/Albuquerque Public Schools officer? (She was among the victims of the June 26 tragic hot air balloon crash that also claimed the lives of her husband, APS employees Susan and John Montoya and the pilot Nicholas Meleski.) ... Mary was not only a dedicated wife and a wonderful mother; she didn’t hold a paid position outside her home, but she was never idle. Despite the fact she was an excellent student at Valley High School and an enthusiastic member of the Valley Vikings’ drill team, she chose not to attend the university, instead marrying “my Dear” as she called Marty. She also referred to her siblings as my “Loving Brother” Manuel Sisneros and “Loving Sister” Mallory Baldonado.
Mary was a cheerleader; she was someone everyone wanted on their team. She led people not only by example but by the way she approached everything, with total commitment. When their sons attended St. Therese Parochial School, she volunteered numerous hours at the school. As a member of St. Therese Church, she assisted in coordinating the church fiesta and was in charge of the flea market and silent auction — she made gift baskets for the auction — and provided Zumba classes for the fiesta attendees.
In 2003, she came on board the New Mexico Community Health Worker Association (NMCHWA), a 501(c)3 nonprofit providing health training for community health workers throughout New Mexico and Native American Pueblos. She assisted with NMCHWA fundraising efforts, aiding in running the nonprofit thrift stores Mano En Mano and Passion For Fashion. Those help clothe recently released adjudicated youth when looking for employment or attending court and host senior citizen fashion shows at the Barela and North Valley Senior Centers. Mary worked with the senior models — some age 80 to 90 years old — to select fashions from the thrift store to model in the shows.
When she turned 50, she avidly became a member of the North Valley Senior Center where she liked to participate in the weekly flea market to raise a little spending money, and after becoming a certified Zumba instructor, she offered Zumba classes there and other senior centers as well as St. Therese Church. She donated the $3 per session fee from St. Therese classes to raise funds for a new cafeteria for the school. As a member of a service club, Altrusa International Inc., I approached her to model at the fashion show held during our annual fundraising effort, she donated gift basket for the Altrusa silent auction. Mary had a generous heart, always looking for ways to help the community or an individual in need. She never met a stranger; once you met her, you were a friend for life, she checked on you during illness or happy times, too. You always knew she was in the room by her boisterous laughter; her voice carried across a room and she claimed she didn’t need a microphone during Zumba classes. If you were running late for a Zumba class, you couldn’t sneak in and go to the back of the room, she would enthusiastically call out “Hi Auntie.”
We are all grieving a profound loss to the community and the family for an individual who can never be replaced.