Christopher Martinez

Local artist Chris Martinez died early Saturday morning May 4. Born in Moorpark on July 21, 1946, Chris was the youngest of the five children of Teofilo and Antonia Martinez. After moving to Ventura, Chris attended Ventura High School. Excelling at both baseball and art during his time at Ventura High, he is featured on the school's wall of fame. After high school, he attended Hayward then Long Beach State University. After university he acquired a job with Disney where he honed his skill as a caricature artist. For the remainder of his career, after moving back to Ventura, Chris was a free-lance artist who also coached his children's athletic teams and taught caricature and life drawing for many years to both adults and children. Many Venturans have at least one caricature and maybe several done by him over the years. He is preceded in death by his parents, siblings Alberta Burgos, Gloria Bustamante, Richard Martinez, Victor Martinez and wife Deborah Warren Martinez. His four children, Danny, Tina, Randy and Melissa, survive him. He also had four grandchildren. Chris has left an indelible mark on Ventura through his many murals, logos, caricatures and his mentoring of a new generation of artists. Arrangements entrusted to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary.