Rudy "MARTY" Martinez

Golf. Wife. Kids. Grandkids. Hunting. Friends. These were the favorite things of Rudy "Marty" Martinez. Depending on the year, day, month, or hour, any one of them could have held the number one spot. Marty was born August 13th, 1941, in Del Norte, Colorado to the late Mildred Noriega. He was a self-proclaimed wild child and knew there were two directions he could take, either getting into trouble or joining the military. He chose the latter. He married his sweetheart, Roberta "Bobbie" Eldridge on November 10th, 1962 after falling hard for her in 1961. 55 years after saying "I do", she sat by his bedside, holding his hand on Monday, January 29th, 2018, as he passed into a land where there are no bogies, the courses are always green, and his buddies Mike K. and Frank D. were waiting for him so they could go hunting for Marty's ever elusive 12 point buck. Marty and Bobbie had three children. This is the part that always confuses people, but the story doesn't matter because he loved his sons Jeff Martinez and Fred Fisher, and his daughter Tamara Fisher equally. But Jeff and Fred know they really ranked 2 and 3 because a father always has a special bond with his daughter. His gems were his three grandkids, Freddy "Tige", Anna "Baby Girl" and "Big Guy" Anthony. Gramps adored these three. Sports, dance, plays, it didn't matter, if one of the kids was doing ANYTHING, Gramps was there to watch. As soon as they were old enough to pick up a golf club, Gramps had them out on the course. To say these kids had his heart is an understatement. Marty had another family, the soldiers he worked with for his 36 years in the military. Marty was a lifetime military man, serving three years active duty in the US Army, then 33 more years in the Michigan National Guard. He was honored to serve his country and considered it a privilege to be a part of America's armed forces. He was especially proud to be First Sergeant of the 1071st. The men and women of the 1071st were his other sons and daughters. He cared about them like family and was proud to be called "Top." Marty was tough on the outside and if you've read this far, there's a good chance that sometime over the last 76 years, you may have gotten "The Look." On the other hand, if you've made it this far, you know what a dear, sweet man he was. He was one of a dying breed that could fix anything, build anything or solve any problem. He would give you a swift kick in the butt when you needed it but would always be there to give you a hug or a shoulder to cry on. He loved the many many friends that became his family. To say he is gone is heartbreaking. We will have a celebration of life for our "Old Mexican" at 2 pm on Saturday, February 3rd at the American Legion Hall, 106 S. James Street in Grayling, Michigan. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Rudy "MARTY" Martinez, please visit our flower store.