Lucia Lopez Martinez

Lucia “Lulu” Lopez Martinez, age 81, of Houston, Texas passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 29, 2022, in her home following a long battle of dementia. She was born September 3, 1941, in Ballinger, TX to the late Jose “Joe” and Maria (Martinez) Lopez.

Lucia’s caregivers who so lovely cared for her until her passing were Alicia Morales and Alexandra Arroyo, whom our family will be forever grateful for their genuine caregiving.

Lucia is survived by her husband, Santos Joseph Martinez of 39 years, whom she fell in love with in 1975 and happily married him September 23, 1983; her five children, Sophia Lisa (Duane) Grooms, Veronica Campos, Santos Joseph Martinez, Jr., Jim Anthony (Emily) Garcia, and Matthew James (Cristina) Martinez, Sr., her 16 grandchildren, and 27 great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Lucia retired in 2006 from the Archdiocese of Galveston (Annunciation Catholic Church) after happily serving 20 years of employment. She loved cooking and baking for everyone, making everybody feel welcomed and loved, on any given family event, we could always count on mom showing up with her famous but simple chocolate on chocolate bunt cake, a jar of her homemade salsa and very large bag of tortilla chips. She never knew a stranger, her famous quote was “There are no strangers, just friends you have not met yet.” Lucia was a woman of strong faith and prayed for everyone she met; she loved her family but loved her God more, loved him from her great big heart. She was a fearless woman, she would always say, “I serve a mighty God!” and that she did.

Lucia is preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Maria Lopez, brothers, Ramon Lopez and Billy Joe Lopez, her sisters, Erlene Reyes and Amelia Cantu, and grandson Michael Anthony Martinez.