Tomasa Martinez

On Sunday, November 29, 2020, at the age of 106, Tomasa T. Martinez, our Mom, and Granny entered her eternal rest. Tomasa had 5 children, 22 grandchildren, 61 great-grandchildren, 59 great-great-grandchildren, and 7 great-great-great-grandchildren.

Tomasa was born on April 26, 1914 in Mercedes, Texas to Jose and Ricarda Tijerina. She was raised in Weslaco, Texas alongside her three brothers, Felipe Tijerina(+), Policarpio Tijerina(+) and Ofelio Tijerina(+) and her three sisters Maria T. Medrano(+), Juanita Tijerina(+) and Guadalupe Tijerina Reyes(+).

In June of 1935, Tomasa married Carlos Martinez and together they had five children, Carlos Martinez, Jr.(+)(Juliana), Margarito Martinez (+)(Sulema)(+), Maria de Jesus Cantu (Fernando), Jose Luis Martinez (Alicia) and Carmela Mendoza (Juan). In 1975, Tomasa lost the love of her life, she was 61, and chose to dedicate her days to her children and grandchildren.
In her younger years, Tomasa loved to work in the strawberry fields in Oxnard, California. She traveled to and from Oxnard for many years. She had a stringent work ethic and was highly respected by all who met her. She was a strong, independent woman and after many years of working Tomasa finally chose to reside in Weslaco for the rest of her life. She was well known for her homemade tortillas and was passionate about gardening. Her green thumb produced mangos, grapes, lemons, oranges, and a variety of roses. Tomasa enjoyed traveling to Las Vegas and Louisiana with her children and grandchildren. Her firecracker personality kept the family on their toes.

Tomasa was devoted to her Catholic faith; she prayed the Holy Rosary daily and believed that with God, All Things are Possible. Tomasa was truly a gift from God to us. She was an outspoken, strong-willed, straightforward, faithful, loving, compassionate, generous, kind, wise, and strong woman who was a warrior until the very end. All who knew her loved and adored her. We feel honored and blessed to have been in her life. We are the seeds she planted and she watched us grow, her legacy will live in many generations to come. She carried us for many years; we now carry her in our hearts until we are able to hold her again in Heaven.

Visitation will be Friday, December 4th, 2020, from 10 am-9 pm, at McCaleb Funeral Home with a rosary at 6 pm. A private Mass will be Saturday, December 5th, 2020, at 10 am, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mercedes. Burial will follow at Weslaco City Cemetery.