Chris Lawrence Martinez

Chris will lie in state on Thursday, April 23, 2020 from 8am to 1pm in the Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40 in Amarillo. A private graveside service will follow later in the afternoon. A celebration of Chris’s life will be held at a later date.

Chris was born on October 25, 1930 in Trinidad, Colorado to Joe and Annie (Lopez) Martinez. He left home at 17 to enlist in the Army Air Corps. In his 20 years of dedicated service to his country, he achieved the final rank of Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force.

He began his career at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and followed that with being stationed in Hamilton AFB in California. His next tour station saw him move to Alaska, followed by Fairchild AFB in Spokane, WA where he met and married Lucy “Lou” Ann Farnham in 1954. Living the military life, the newlyweds moved to Westover AFB in Chicepee, Massachusetts. Chris would then deploy to Chateauroa France before finally moving back to the states and settling at Amarillo AFB in Amarillo, Texas to finish his duties. He spent much of his time in his new assignment in the Strategic Air Command as a personal equipment sergeant and supervisor. He was awarded the Air Force Good Conduct Medal accommodation during his time in the service.

After “retiring” from the service, he joined the staff of St. Anthony’s Hospital in Amarillo. For the better part of 13 years, he ran Central Supply; some of which was spent as an assistant or acting purchasing agent running both departments.

When he finally did retire, he pursued a hobby of collecting bar paraphernalia, medical and Air Force memorabilia. He was also a curious person and a voracious reader who kept the librarians of the East Branch Library very busy checking out 20-30 books a month. For more than 70 years, Chris expressed his love of music by playing both the guitar and organ.

He was a loving father, devoted husband, and the eldest of seven children who was a generous and friendly man to all who knew him.

Chris is preceded in death by his beloved “Lou”, both parents, sister Toni Trujillo; and several nieces and nephews. Those left to cherish his memory are his loving daughter Kathleen Martinez of Amarillo, siblings Angie of Dallas, Irene Arguello, Cleo Lujan and Richard Baca all of Denver, Colorado, and Bernal Baca of Tacoma, Washington.