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Susanne Martinez passed away on Saturday, March 18, 2023, after a two year long battle with colon cancer. After a long and arduous battle, she embraced Death as an old friend and passed peacefully, surrounded by her family. Susanne was born on January 8, 1968 in San Antonio where she lived with her (family). She met Joseph Martinez in 1981, when they and their families were charter members of Prince of Peace Catholic Church. She attended John Marshall High School in San Antonio. Susanne graduated in 1986 and Joseph left for the Navy in 1989 and was stationed in the Persian Gulf. He would often send tapes to Susanne to keep in touch with her during their time apart, going so far as to propose to her in one of those many tapes. They were married August 16, 1991 after Joseph came home from his time overseas and he and Susanne eloped in San Antonio, but later had a family celebration in 1993. Joseph and Susanne welcomed their son Zachary in 1994 and in 1996 their only daughter, Emily, was born. Susanne attended Northwest Vista College in 2000 before transferring to UTSA and then finally completing her degree in General Studies at the University of Houston in 2010 while the family lived in Katy, Texas. While she worked on her degree, she and Joseph welcomed their third child, Jakob, in 2004. Susanne began working as a teacher at Longfellow Middle School in SAISD in 2012. She moved to Brooks Collegiate Academy – now known as Somerset Academy Collegiate in 2018 as the middle school English teacher, becoming Department Chair in 2019. It was in July of 2021 that Susanne was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. Determined to not waste any time, she put all her efforts into fighting this disease and always had a positive mentality while doing so. Susanne often spoke of how she consistently prayed the Rosary, said her prayers, and appreciated gifts of holy water from Lourdes in France. Even while fighting this deadly disease, she showed up at work every day with a smile on her face, a hug for everyone who wanted one (especially her students), and an ear to listen when someone needed to just talk. This past January, Susanne was chosen as the KSAT 12 Educator of the month, an achievement she so richly deserved. It was one of the highlights of her final weeks as a teacher here at Somerset Academy Collegiate. In the two weeks prior to her passing, students, teachers, and staff came together to create and sign a poster, thanking Coach Martinez for all she has done over the past five years for all of us here on campus. The poster was given to her this past Sunday, March 12th, at her home, along with other assorted goodies that had been put together for her. Coach Holland, her teaching colleague, made the delivery that Sunday afternoon. She was speechless at the amount of thought and effort put into the poster as well as the homemade cards that students had made for her as well. In this last visit with her, Susanne reflected on how much she missed her students and her hopes that they continued to do well in her absence. Susanne is survived by her husband of almost thirty-two years, Joseph; her children, Zachary, Emily, and Jakob; her parents, Enrique and Elia Olivares; a brother, Enrique, Jr, his wife, Janna; nieces and nephews, Adrianna, Marcus, and Benjamin; her mother-in-law, Mary Martinez; sister-in-law Gina and her husband Michael Alonzo; niece, Carolina and nephew, Michael, Jr; and her dog, Belle, whom she always referred to as her nurse when she was at home recovering from treatments. The family invites everyone to join them for visitation and rosary on Monday, March 27, 2023, at Mission Park Funeral Home North, located off of Cherry Ridge and Loop 410, beginning at 4pm. The rosary will begin at 7pm. A memorial service is planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please donate a book for the school library at Somerset Academy Collegiate, located at 4802 Vance Jackson Dr. You may also bring a book to the visitation. Since Susanne loved the color pink and her favorite superhero was Wonder Woman, the family asks that you wear something to reflect these things as you join them for the visitation and rosary.

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Susanne Olivares Martinez

January 8, 1968 - March 18, 2023