Celia Martínez was born on January 22 1928 to Cástulo and Ester Martínez. The family lived in a presidio on the corner of Park and Fifth in the Second Ward neighborhood, where Celia’s Dad ran a drugstore. Celia was baptized at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church. She was a trailblazer. At a time when fewer than one in a hundred college students was a Mexican-American woman, Celia earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (Class of 1949) from UT Austin so that she could go into the family business. She was a Registered Pharmacist for over 60 years, working into her 80s.
Celia served as President of the El Paso Pharmacy Association. Her warm, friendly style made her popular with customers and co-workers.
Celia married ex-Navy man Antonio Roberto Rubio, a D-Day veteran, at Holy Family Catholic Church in 1954. They were married for almost 50 years. When they met, it was love at first sight. Celia is the mother
of James, Bruno and Robert; the grandmother of David, Michael and Mikayla; and the great-grandmother of Bianca, Ava, Sophia and Debbie Kate.
She was a miracle of nature. Even though she had to use a cane, Celia attended water aerobics four times a week up to six weeks before she passed at the age of 96. What a lot of friends she made among the kind
and gracious ladies at the Memorial Park Swimming Pool! They were always so eager to help her out of the water and watch over her.
Celia enjoyed having lunch, practicing yoga and playing lotería at the Memorial Park Senior Center. Although she rarely won, she was happy to join in the fun and sit by her friends, of which there were many: Celia was easy to love. Trust in God guided Celia’s life. She prayed the Rosary and read from her book of meditations daily. She belonged to Our Lady at Saint Joseph’s and attended the Bible study at Saint Joseph’s Parish.
The fourth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary, the Assumption of Mary, is a prayer for a happy death. The Blessed Virgin heard: Celia was very peaceful when she passed from this world to the next.
