Mary Grace Martinez

Mary Grace (Marquez) Martinez, 86, returned to her heavenly home on March 2, 2018 at the Southwest Medical Center in Liberal Kansas, surrounded by her family after a valiant battle with a long illness. Her devotion to her family and her firm belief in God supported her in her struggle and ultimately gave her peace.

Mary was born to the late Juan and Clara Marquez, a WWI Veteran and rancher and a homemaker respectively, in Des Moines, New Mexico on June 1, 1931. Mary was blessed with a large and loving family. She was married 56 years to her best friend, Joe F. Martinez. The family settled in Beaver, Oklahoma in 1965.

Mary is survived by her husband, Joe; her sons Ernest, Richard, and Joe Jr.; her daughters Josephine and Betty; 15 grandchildren; many great grandchildren; and her brothers, Norbert, John, Joe and BenJoe. She is preceded in death by her brothers, Elmer and Nash; her parents; and her daughter, Debbie Hefner.

A Rosary Service will be held at the St. Frances Cabrini Church in Beaver, Oklahoma on March 8, at 7:00 p.m. 

Funeral Services will be held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Clayton, New Mexico on March 10, at 10:00 a.m.   Mary will be buried at the Clayton Cemetery following the Funeral Service, with a reception to follow at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, the family gratefully requests donations to be made to The Toby Keith Foundation at 818 N.E. 8th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, https://www.tobykeithfoundation.org/donate  or to the OU Children’s Hospital https://chfkids.com/donations/donate, 888-229-KIDS.