Jose Ramon Martinez

Jose Ramon Martinez went to his heavenly home on May 7th, 2013.

Jose, known by most as Ramon, was born in General Teran, Nuevo Leon, Mexico on April 18, 1921 on a small farm to Pedro and Epitacia Martinez. Pedro, a widower with six children, married Epitacia Castillo, also a widow with a baby girl. Together, his parents went on to have eleven more children, making it a total of seventeen, two of which died as infants. His mother treated all of the children equal. His father was very strict and a hard worker. His mother was also a hard worker, yet gentle, loving and kind. Together they instilled good values in all their children.

His father was a brick layer. Later in the years, he grew corn and sugar cane and operated a cane mill. As a small boy, Ramon was expected to do chores and help his older brothers out in the fields. As a seven and eight year old, he remembered days when he would start work at dawn and how dusk would greet as he help plant corn for hours. When he was six, an elder neighbor gave him a puppy he named Palomo. From that day on, Ramon and Palomo were inseparable. The two would spend all day out in the fields. His mother would pack both of them a lunch of fresh milk and tortillas. As a young man he and his brothers had specific jobs to do in their dad’s cane mill, his job was to fill the molds for the ‘piloncillos‘, a type of candy. A highlight of the day for the brothers, was to go swimming after work in the river nearby.

Ramon grew in a home where God was of the up most importance and being honest, thoughtful and sharing with others was the way to live. In 1941,he married the mother of his children, Manuela Martinez. They bought a small farm where they grew corn and had a few farm animals. In 1954, after struggling to make a living off their farm, Ramon followed his older brother, Francisco, and move the family to Texas. In 1958, they migrated to Michigan where he worked in the fields returning to Texas in the winters. Three years later, they decided to settle in Michigan so their children could have stability and a good education. Ramon went to work at the Michigan Fruit Canners factory in Fennville. In 1965, he moved to Holland where he worked at Chris Craft, Baker Furniture and later at Heinz, retiring in 1985.

Ramon and Manuela had fourteen children, and sadly five of those preceded him in death. Ramon never missed an opportunity to talk about life in Mexico, his parents, extended relatives, the good old country, and his small farm . Asked if he ever got into any mischief as a young boy, he would say ‘no, I was a good kid’ except for the time when at the age of six he said he climbed a pecan tree about 50 feet (his story!) and was throwing pecans down, when suddenly the branch he was on sitting broke and he went tumbling down, hitting branch after branch on the way down until he hit the ground knocking him unconscious! Luckily a young man happened to be passing by and heard the noise, picked him off the ground and carried him home where he was taken to a doctor. He came to that night with little or no harm done except his pride!

Ramon’s favorite pastime was playing checkers. He loved to tell stories of how he played during his breaks at Heinz and bragged how he was seldom beaten! Through the years as the grandchildren and great grandchildren came along he taught most of them how to play the game by the age of three or four. He never gave them an easy way out, his philosophy was, no matter how old the child was, he had to earn his win! Yes, he was beaten at his own game occasionally, but not often! For years he rode his stationary bike 3 to 10 miles per day, something his doctors attributed to his strong heart.

He loved music, loved to dance, sing and would sing to anyone that would listen (ask the nurses at the hospital)! Many times he would make up his own songs with stories that fit the moment or the person he was singing to. His real love were his grandchildren and great grandchildren, he never tired of them. He praised each one of them, danced, played and laughed with them and was proud of their accomplishments no matter how big or small.

He will be deeply missed by all his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We love you Dad. You instilled in us good values and love for one another. You will always be in our hearts. You were the best!

A memorial service will be held Friday at 11am, at Mulder Chapel 188 West 32nd St. Holland, with Father Charles Brown and Pastor Aaron Garcia officiating. Burial will be in Graafschap Cemetery.

Visitation is scheduled for Thursday evening from 7-9pm at Mulder Chapel.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Holland.

Please visit www.dykstrafuneralhome.com to sign an online registry or to leave a memory.