Roberto Elias Martinez Sr

Our father, Roberto was raised on a ranch in a small “cowboy” town name Fronteras, Sonora in Mexico by the river, Rio Fronteras. The ranch was owned by his father and mother, Francisco and Maria. They grew corn, beans and raised cattle. Our father’s family is also related to Plutarco Elias Calles, recognized as the architect of modern Mexico and the country’s 40th president was in Fronteras. Plutarco was my father’s grand-uncle. The children went to school in the same building of the Catholic Church for the town. Later in his years, when our father was 7, the mother, Maria’s dress caught on fire from the family’s wood stove. After 2 weeks she passed away from her severe burns. A year later, distant family members killed the father, Francisco for the ranch land and the children ran into the forest and hills. There were 6 children in the family. Their grandmother found out about their plight and rode the train from Nogales, Sonora to Fronteras and only found 4 of the 6 children. The 4 children were Hector, Lalo, Roberto and their little sister, Blanca. Their grandmother later passed away a year later and the children were alone, again.

Extended family helped with raising the children but they had to work to survive. Our father, Roberto was a shoe shine boy, newspaper boy and anything of service to make a Peso. Later in his teen life he served on the railways of Mexico and then for a better life headed up North to help with the croplands of Arizona. He decided to apply for citizenship and found out that he was born in Douglas making him a citizen of the USA. In the years of a young man he started out working in the construction industry working as a cement finisher. He decided to make a family for himself and headed back to his small “cowboy” town of Fronteras to find a wife. He met the Monge family and asked the father that he was looking for a bride. The father called out his daughters and our father picked the prettiest, that being told from our mom’s own words. They moved onto to the Valley of the Sun for a better life and there they raised 5 children and later received 11 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren in the later years.

Our mother past-away years ago, God rest her soul and we miss her very much including our father. In his last few days he asked for his family and still at his weakening condition would still do his “signatured” sign of the Cross to everyone who said farewell to him. His 5 children, 11 grandchildren and extended family and close friends were there to say we love him so very much until we saw him go. We all cried while the statues of the saints, angels and his Cross overhanging his bedside watched. We do our best to follow the Catholic tradition of saying goodbye to our father, grandfather, great grandfather and once a husband, Roberto.

We pray and thank you Roberto Elias Martinez for a long great life you gave us and shared. We will miss you for your humor, dance, song and your presence. You were there for your children’s, grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s birth with pride and love. You and mom helped make us to who we are and we are blessed for that gift. Today we bury your coffin next to the coffin of our mom, grandmother, great-grandmother and your wife, Rosa Delia Monge Martinez. We truly know that Jesus Christ has decided that day to take you Papa in his arms and bring you to our Momma and all your love ones where we will eventually be in the Heaven above with our Lord. We love you and God bless your souls Papa and Momma and we will see you soon in the Kingdom of God. Amen.

Roberto’s loving wife: Rosa Delia Monge Martinez was born on January 4, 1940 and passed away on June 29, 1998. He is survived by Son, Roberto Monge Martinez, daughter-in-law, Sara Mejia Martinez, grandson, Romeo Roberto, granddaughter, Xuxa Dulce; Daughter, Dulce Maria Monge Martinez, grandsons, Hector, Raulito, Desi, Carlo; Daughter, Rosa Delia Monge Martinez, grandsons, Francisco, and Michael, granddaughter, Athyna Marie Sluder, grandson-in-law, Donald Sluder, great-grandchildren, Nathan, Donald, Riley, and Bela; Son, Victor Monge Martinez, grandson, Anthony, granddaughter, Delia; and daughter, Myrna Monge Martinez.