Harold H. Martinez Tribute

CHRISTIAN—
Tonight we stand before you as Harold’s 14 grandchildren.
ANDREAS—
We are here to share with you how much our Grandpa meant to us and how he has impacted each of our lives. Each of us are proud to say he has left an everlasting and loving impression on us all.
CRISTINA G—
From some of our simplest memories of grandpa always being in a good mood, trying to slip us money when grandma wasn’t looking, to making sure the front door was always locked, we will remember him as a good man who loved us unconditionally, even if we were adopted into the family.
BIANCA—
Some of our fondest memories of him have been at his house around the holidays when the whole family would get together. Every year our entire family would cram into Grandma and Grandpa’s living room so that we could see his BIG surprise gift for Grandma, even though we always knew it was him who was so excited! He always liked seeing his entire family get together around the holidays especially when it was time to say grace.
ASHLEY—
In his final days, we had many conversations of people who were good to him. He talked about his employees and the relationship he had with different people along the years. In reflection of what he was saying, I realized it was his lesson on compassion and the way he treated others. Grandpa was an employer who wanted to know on a personal level the people who worked for him. He invested in them with the hopes they would invest in him and share the same work ethic. This explains the level of respect he had by those in his community, church, and business organizations.
When it was near the end of his life, he was saddened by the realization of hospice. He felt that it was the beginning to the end and although we cried together, he was still able put life into perspective for me. It was the closing of a chapter to a life well lived. He was fortunate to have traveled the world and see the many wonders and beauties it has to offer…. many of which most of us will never get to experience. He has met dignitaries, diplomats, even U.S. presidents. He’s written many letters and lobbied to get his concerns heard with hopes of change, and has been honored with awards that mark the man he was working to be. Although my grandpa felt his dying was the end of his life he was simply laying a foundation for us to follow and strive for. Thank You Grandpa.
JOEY—
Grandpa and grandma have been at every mile stone in each of their grandchildren’s lives, from high school & college graduations to sporting events, recitals, weddings and the birth of their great grandchildren he was a grandpa who was full of pride. And although we thanked him for coming to our functions it is not until now do we realize the absence we will have for times to come. Thanks grandpa for always being there.
JR—
For his grandchildren the most important lesson he wanted us to learn was the value of family. To know that the institution of family was the foundation that made us who we are and where we were going in life. Our grandpa prided himself in being a Martinez and the known fact that he had worked hard and earned everything in his life. My grandpa wanted us to learn the value of the dollar and appreciate what we had. He taught us that no matter how much money we had, we weren’t going to be successful without our family. Thank you Grandpa.
COURTNEY—
My grandpa was a man with a limited education… and based on his failures and successes in life he pushed us to educate ourselves. It was his encouragement that always motivated us to do more with our selves and further our education. His intention all his life was to encourage those he believed in… to do what they set out for… he would say “simply finish and better yourself”. And although we didn’t all commit to the family business, he undeniably still supported our hopes and dreams. As long as we knew that we were ABLE to do anything as long as we had the ganas, the desire, he was content. Thank you Grandpa.
ANDREW—
If you knew my grandpa he had a couple favorite clichés that as kids we never could figure out, but now sharing with others only makes us smile. If we were at his house and we asked him a question, he stressed a …Who Knows!!!
And if we were leaving he always yelled… What’s The Hurry!!!
In reflecting on who our grandpa was, it was important that we mention the things that gave us a laugh. We were always so excited when he was going to see a man about a dog, but then he never came back with the dog. So Grandma….I think its time you get us a dog.
SEAN—
As Harold’s grandchildren we’re very fortunate, better than our parents, we had our grandparents as mentors who modeled what we were suppose to become in every aspect of our lives. His generosity and eagerness to help people, even though he barely knew them was phenomenal. Our grandpa had a heart of gold. He was the kind of man that would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it and then ask, "What else can I do?". He never asked for anything in return...... other than for you to be true to yourself, honest and respectful to the people around you and most of all for you to go to church..!!! It is for your lesson in generosity grandpa that I thank you.
Christina—
My grandpa loved my grandma. My mijita de mi Corazon, he would say. They were inseparable companions who were best friends and undoubtedly an example of what true love should be. Although my grandma was not big on dancing it would light up my grandpa’s face to get her to dance. Everything he did, he did for my grandma and for the rest of his family. There were many days we found him washing the dishes and when we asked why he was doing so, he said because he didn’t want grandma to mess up her nails. His main goal in life was not the success of his business but rather making Gloria happy. Spoiling her wasn’t enough; “she deserved nothing but the best”, he would say. They went from rags to riches together and in the end they were richest in love. Aside from an every so often “darn it GLORIA”, grandpa always tried to model a relationship based on sole love. Thank you grandpa for teaching us love.
Noelle—
Grandpa was a man of his word. His integrity shined thru his character while his presence was definitely made known in a room. He was always introducing himself as Harold Martinez as if you were supposed to know who he was. He was a man who was passionate about his beliefs but always had time for a few jokes. He was a great leader who was the foundation of our family and a pillar in his Latino community. His lessons in life have taught us the type of person we want to be. Please help us celebrate a man who was a loving husband, devoted father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Thank you grandpa for being our strength.
Robert —
Before I start… I want to once again thank you all being here tonight to share your condolences with my grandmother and our family. One very important person who was not able to be with us tonight was my brother Nicholas. He is currently off serving in our US Armed Forces and was not able to break away from his training… but he would have liked to have been here with us tonight…

My cousins have described my grandfather in a true depiction of who was and his intentions in life. I’m confident that the people sitting and standing before me tonight in this beautiful church were my grandparents first got married are well aware of the generous, loving, and committed man he lived to be. Being the first grandchild, I had a unique opportunity to grow up with him, and he embraced and treated me as if I was his own son. Our talks will always be cherished, while his advice will never be forgotten.

This brings me to MY fondest memory of my grandfather… And that he was what a great mentor he was… The dictionary defines mentor as: A Wise and Trusted Counselor or Teacher, an Influential Senior Sponsor or Supporter. This was my Grandfather… The best example I can give you, is that in life I’m sure at one point or another we’ve all had a fall. Whether it be in Love, Business, Legal, or Financial, he was always there to pick you up. But my grandfather wouldn’t just pat you on your back and send you on your way. Instead he would sit there with you and together the two of you would figure out and understand why it was you fell, and again together come up with a plan to make sure you didn’t fall again. I don’t mind saying I was one of those people he mentored… in fact I’m proud and feel privileged to be one of the lucky few. And those like me know we are all better, smarter people today because of him.

As my cousins and I have been coming up here to speak to all of you, you may have noticed we’ve been slipping these 10 of diamond cards on his casket. My grandfather had a fondness for playing cards. He was a 3 Card Poker player when he went to Vegas, a gin rummy player when his friends came to visit, and a card game many may not be familiar with called Casino, he played with his family… Now there are many ways to acquire points while playing this game but the 10 of diamonds was worth the most… And if you ever got a chance to play this game with him, he was relentless at trying to acquire this card. Grandpa, we just want you to know that we will always Love You and you’ll always be the 10 of diamonds in our hearts…

Harold Martinez was and Angel, a Statesman, he was a Legend… To me, he was my Friend, my Mentor; Harold Martinez was my Grandfather… I Love You Grandpa.!!!