Rosaura Canales Martinez

Rosaura Canales Martinez of Houston, Texas - beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend departed Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Rosaura was born June 8,1926 in San Marcos, Texas to Hercules O. Canales and Anita Morales. She was one of ten children.

Rosaura is preceded in death by her parents and her husband; Thomas H. Martinez, son; David Martinez, several brothers, sisters, close neighbors, and dear friends.

She is survived by her sister Rogelia (Woody) Mylonas, sons; Vick Martinez and Vance Martinez (wife; Mary Martinez), grandchildren; Robert Rivera, Felisha Martinez, Melody Falcon (husband Rafael Falcon), Paul Martinez, Stephanie Savala (husband Ryan Gillaspie) and great-grandchildren; Claudia, Sabena, Paul Jr., Angelina, Aria, Eli, Emily, and Mia and countless nieces and nephews.

Rosaura (also known as Sarah and Ms. Martinez) often spoke fondly of childhood memories and her working days before marriage. She raised three children and, in her 50s and 60s she raised three grandchildren. She also volunteered much of her life. She helped at Kashmere Gardens Elementary School for many years, chaperoning field trips, as an occasional substitute teacher and making things for classrooms. She also volunteered at Our Lady Sorrows Catholic Church with one of the Sunday Breakfast fundraising crews, and she would sometimes make her pineapple upside down cake for sale. She also helped on a few committees, like the churches’ Anniversary committee. She and some church members once volunteered with a church-affiliated organization, on a neighborhood door knocking project to convince children who had dropped out of high school in Houston’s near Northside to go back. She made many friends at church and had many fond and funny memories there that she would often talk about.

Rosaura along with her sister Woody also volunteered for many years at the Houston Public Library with assembling and packing printed materials that promoted events and services available at the library.

In her later years, Rosaura’s granddaughter Melody convinced her grandmother to attend art and craft classes at La Casita behind Guadalupe Church, which was headed by family friend Sister Dominic Garcia and where her granddaughter volunteered. Rosaura loved her time there creating ceramic crafts along with her sister Woody. When La Casita closed, Rosaura later attended craft and exercise classes at the Third Age Learning Center at All Saints Catholic Church. When the program was closed for summers, she continued to take summer exercise classes at the Protractor Plaza Community Center. She was proud to tell her doctors she was doing aerobics in her 90s.

Rosaura enjoyed simple things, visiting with family and friends, trips with family, celebrations, thrift shopping and eating out. Her favorite pastimes were reading the newspaper every morning, listening to music while sitting out on her front porch, greeting neighbors who passed by, and seeing children play in the schoolyard across the street.

In her 96 years, Rosaura has been a support to many people – family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, providing advice and even a place to stay in her small home on occasion. Her wise guidance will be missed.

A visitation will be held at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral home at 6900 Lawndale St, Houston, TX 77023 on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, from 5 PM – 9 PM.

A memorial service will be held at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral home on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, at 10 AM, followed by a reception at approximately 11 AM in the Magnolia Suite at Forest Park Lawndale.