Randy Allen Martinez

Randy A. Martinez died suddenly and without forewarning Friday, September 30, 2016 while at home with his wife Laura. Randy is survived by his wife Laura Alegria, Daughter Amelinda Whitley (David), son Michael Carbajal, grandchildren, Katherine and Alex Montelongo (Alana Gonzales) parents Emilio and Esther Valdespino, sisters Christine and Esther Martinez, brother Daniel Valdespino , sister in law Mary Martinez, two Goddaughters Desiree Trujillo and Alexandria Espinosa as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter Dometria Carbajal, brother Manuel Martinez, Sister Margie Montoya and grandmother Margaret Bargas. Randy is a veteran having served as a proud member of the Military Police in the United States Marine Corps from March 29, 1976 to April 11, 1980 followed by two years of reserve service. He was discharged with honors with the rank of corporal. He was very proud of his service, had immense respect for veterans and a great love for his country. Randy grew up in North Denver and attended North High School. He was the oldest child of Emilio and Esther Valdespino. As a young man, he was legendary on the basketball court as well as the wrestling mat. Randy learned to work on cars with the help of his father Emilio and loved buying used cars and tinkering around on them. One of his most enjoyable past times was fishing. He would sometimes take a day off from work in the middle of the week just to head out to a local lake and spend the whole day waiting for the Big One. He taught many of his nephews and later his grandchildren Katherine and Alex and son Michael to fish as well. As he grew older, he found more contentment at home sitting at the kitchen table with his wife Laura discussing life, politics, world events, watching TV and enjoying a good meal, but would gladly hit the fishing hole if invited. Randy worked for the Denver Housing Authority as a Tech II for more than 19 years and UPS for 16 years. Randy was looking forward to retiring at 62 and was counting the days so he and Laura could buy and RV and travel around. Randy always had a big smile on his face and children everywhere loved him. He was a great joker with a quick wit and had nicknames for everyone. He was always welcome everywhere he went and was embraced and loved by his family as well as Laura's and was looked up to by all of their nieces and nephews. He was the first to embrace you for your accomplishments, yet he never shied away from letting you know when you needed to get it right. Uncle Randy was larger than life and his respect was often sought. When outside, neighbors always stopped to talk to him, complimenting him on the yard or asking about his vehicles. When Randy and his wife Laura lived in North Denver he was referred to as the "Governor of Clyde Place", "the big Chicano King" by a co-worker at UPS and Snuffaluffagus (Snuffy) by friends at Denver Housing. Randy worked hard, lived large, smiled often, loved immensely and left us much too soon. Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) A public viewing will be held on Wednesday October 12, 2016 from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. at Romero Family Mortuary, 4750 Tejon St. in North Denver. A memorial Service will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, October 14, 2016 at Romero Family Mortuary, 4750 Tejon St. followed by burial with Military Honors at Mt. Olivet Cemetery at noon. Family and friends are welcome to attend a reception at VFW located at 4747 W. Colfax following his burial. Cemetery Details Mount Olivet Cemetery 12801 W. 44th Ave Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 Loading map Previous Events Visitation & Viewing OCT 12. 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM (MT) Romero Family Funeral Home & Ft. Logan Mortuary - Denver 4750 Tejon St Denver, CO 80211 [email protected] Loading map Memorial Service OCT 14. 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (MT) Romero Family Funeral Home & Ft. Logan Mortuary - Denver 4750 Tejon St Denver, CO 80211 [email protected] Loading map Reception OCT 14. 1:00 PM (MT) VFW - Colfax 4747 W. Colfax Ave Lakewood, CO 80204 Loading map