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Maria Theresa (Avelar) Martinez passed away on November 12, 2022 at her residence in San Antonio. She was born on April 18, 1940 in San Antonio, to Rudolph G. Avelar and Cruz Reyna Avelar. Mrs. Martinez was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Isaac V. Martinez. She is survived by her daughters, Sandra Lopez (Charles) and Cynthia Martinez; son, Isaac G. Martinez (Vanessa); brothers, Pedro Avelar, Larry Avelar (Bart) and Andrew Avelar (Rosalinda); grandchildren, Adam, Julia, Diana and Isaac; and numerous nieces & nephews. “Terry” graduated from Louis W. Fox Vocational and Technical School in 1958 and later attended San Antonio College and received an Associate degree in Child Development. During her high school years, she was a Major of the “Tech Red Jackets” and performed for school and community functions. She was the eldest of six children with five younger brothers. She was not only a sister but a “second mother” to her younger siblings Rudy, Eddie, Pedro, Larry, and Andrew. “Terry” married her high school sweetheart Isaac “Ike” Martinez after a traditional courtship and the exchange of many love letters from Dad while in the Army and stationed in Korea. The letters are straight out of a Notebook type romance novel. It was love at first sight and Mom liked to tell the story to her children and grandchildren. “I took my younger brother Pedro to a Halloween party, and I saw this guy…and he apparently saw me…” Mom worked as the administrative assistant at the Child Development Center at San Antonio College and was the welcoming face to children every morning. She oriented and guided many young college interns wanting to start a career in child development. Regardless of her administrative (and mentoring) duties, Mom was at every game, took us to every practice and found time to volunteer as a room mother. Many of the young interns in college found Mom to be someone they could go to and talk about their personal struggles. Mom was there for them too. She volunteered at St. John’s the Evangelist Catholic School, Blessed Sacrament Parochial School and was a staunch supporter of the Antonian College Preparatory School Wild Game Dinner and various other sports and dance functions. When her children were younger, she participated in the Girls Scouts “cookie drives” with her daughters Sandy and Cynthia and helped their school with volunteering at church and festival functions. Dad coached baseball for Isaac and Mom made sure she got all the kids to practices and games. She also took her son Isaac and his best friend John White on fishing and camping trips up at Uncle Oscar and Aunt Rita’s place on the river in Wimberley. A great day for my mother was spending time with her family and friends. She loved, supported, and cared for her husband “Ike” Martinez throughout his career as a manager and eventual owner of an independent supermarket. The family vacationed to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Marine World and camped in the mountains and fished along the coastline of California. In later years, her and Ike enjoyed travel as a couple to Las Vegas, Alaska, Hawaii and other adventures in Italy and Monte Carlo. Mom loved to travel, and Dad made sure she was going to do it. Mom was an excellent cook and hosted many festive Christmas and New Year’s parties for family and friends with specialties such as homemade tamales, menudo, brisket, and various appetizers. Her Lenten meals on Good Friday were a yearly treat featuring enchiladas along with potato pancakes, salmon, and tuna patties. The Lenten sauce only came around once a year. Once Mom became a grandparent, she was focused on teaching and supporting her grandchild, “Adam Rey,” the importance of reading, writing and of course, play. She was happy that Adam’s first cousin Joshua Avelar lived nearby, and she picked them both up after school and cared for them with an after school snack and activity. She was in heaven…she now had her own personal Child Development Center. Retirement followed but the action was just beginning for Grandma. She became a regular fixture at soccer, baseball, track and basketball games of her grandson and nephew. She supported Adam throughout his elementary, middle school and high school sport and academic years. She also supported her own children and served as a steady beacon as they navigated adulthood and parenthood. Grandma had always been an avid sports fan, often talking about how her and her grandfather would listen to baseball games on the radio. Grandpa couldn’t wait to get home from work so he could play with his grandson. The two thrived in their new role as grandparents, as grandma provided all the children with endless love. With the addition of other grandchildren, Grandma once again “threw” herself into the world of competitive youth dance, theatre, choir, soccer, baseball, basketball, and football. She regularly attended performances, games, and events in the Boerne community to watch Julia, Diana, and Isaac…always prepared with a goodie bag for her little ones. She essentially immersed herself into the families’ hearts in yet another community. It was easy for Mom to strike up a conversation with anyone. She took every opportunity to show genuine affection toward children, whether at an event, church, or the local grocery store. Her life was dedicated to the happiness of children. It was her gift. She would memorize the names of her grandchildren’s teammates and be sure to provide them a treat at the end of the season (or the beginning of a game if she could get away with it). She cheered on her grandchildren’s friends as much as her own. Given her baseball experience, it wasn’t uncommon for her to provide some post-game strategic advice for her son, the youth baseball coach. She was usually right. One of her favorite traditions was Fiesta. Grandma was out on St. Mary’s street come rain or shine celebrating Fiesta at the parade with her family. She arrived decked out in beads, flowers, crowns, and the brightest pink shirt in all of San Antonio. She was always stocked with extra medals, beads, and cascarones to give to her grandchildren (and would usually slip a $20 bill for some candy, too). Grandma was the queen of Fiesta and made sure to share her love for the celebrations with the entire family. She loved the Astros, the Cowboys, the Longhorns, and of course the Spurs. She went through the ups and downs of each of the teams and thankfully was able to witness the championships of each of her favorite teams before she departed. Yes, she was one of those Spurs fans cruising down Commerce Street after the first Spurs championship. She made sure that each of her grandchildren (and children) were duly outfitted with the proper attire for the appropriate season and occasion. Mom was wild in her spirit and probably the most substantial unknown donor to each of the abovementioned organizations. After her husband departed, she missed him dearly and kept his spirit alive with many stories about their remarkable history together. They had many dear friends who, along with their children, have become part of our family today. As things began to “wind down,” Mom began to volunteer at St. Gregory’s with the Society of the Guadalupanas and St. Vincent de Paul. Her duties revolved around service to those in need. Whether it was buying and taking groceries to an elderly person or just extending kindness and prayer to a person in need, she was there. She became a Eucharistic minister and gave communion to those who could not make it to the church services any longer. Throughout her life, she encouraged her children and grandchildren to be involved in the church. She led by example and over the past several years she became interested in the Divine Mercy of Christ. She wanted her grandchildren to know the importance of kindness, trust, and forgiveness even when it was difficult. Throughout the past years, Grandma spent much of her time texting us and other family members the upcoming shows on TV, sports games and of course the weather. They went something like this: “Brrr. 31 Sunday for Boerne.” That was an alternative to one of her other earlier approaches to just saying “Make sure the kids wear a jacket!” Mom had two basic rules about raising children: “Give them two choices that you need them to do” and “children need hugs.” When talking with older kids and adults she used Socratic questioning in getting people to think about their decisions. She allowed the people with whom she was talking to come to their own decisions and to see the facts as they stood. If needed, she would be direct, succinct, and precise. She donated to the Running Strong for American Indian Youth and to the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in memory of her young cousin Mark Watson who succumbed to Cancer at a young age. “Theresa,” “Terry,” “Mom,” and “Grandma” touched the lives of many people. Many of our friends refer to her as a second mom. Recently, she began to speak more of her grandfather and those baseball games on the radio, she also spoke more about Dad and their life together. She missed her brothers Eddie and Rudy as they had passed on years before. Despite these transitions, Mom found joy in her grandchildren and in the little things in life itself. She continued to fully live life. She danced until she could not dance anymore. She never gave up. When she planned for her departure, she wanted to make sure it was a celebration of life. We are going to miss you, but we truly know that you are with your sweetheart again surrounded by your loving family and friends. We were so lucky to have you and will remember your words and actions. Bye Mom! SERVICES Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 beginning at 6:00pm, followed by a Rosary at 7:00pm at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at 10:00am at the church, with interment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery. For personal acknowledgement, please sign the online guestbook at www.missionparks.com in the Tributes section. MISSION PARK FUNERAL CHAPELS NORTH 3401 CHERRY RIDGE DR. SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78230 (210) 349-1414

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Maria Theresa Martinez

April 18, 1940 - November 12, 2022