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Teresa Ulloa Martinez was born in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico on October 15, 1922, to parents Genoveva and Felipe Ulloa. She traveled from Nayarit through the San Luis, Arizona border with her daughter Elvia (1941-2013) where she acquired her U.S. Citizen on July 11, 1957. Teresa planted her roots in Yuma, Arizona, where she met and married her husband Fernando Martinez (1919-2005) and welcomed two more children, sons Samuel P. and Stephen J. Martinez.
She worked in manufacturing at Coca-Cola where she bottled soda and was also employed by Yellow Front. After retirement, Teresa and her husband would spend most of their time at home with family, gardening or traveling to Southern California.
While at home, Teresa enjoyed working with her husband in their backyard garden. She was excellent at tending to her hibiscus’, roses and citrus trees. She enjoyed early morning walks just as dawn was rising, hot coffee with toast and reading the Yuma Sun newspaper. A moment's rest was not in her vocabulary, whether she was cleaning, cooking, sewing or shopping; she was always on-the-go. With every season change, so did her lawn ornaments. She took a tremendous amount of joy in the cleanliness and upkeep of her home.
Every Sunday you could find her at the 11 am mass at St.Francis of Assisi with her daughter Elvia. She was actively involved in her church parish and participated as often as possible. She was often one of the first to arrive to help setup for mass. She volunteered to read scriptures during service, gave the Eucharist and volunteered for many community church functions.
One of Teresa’s biggest passions was sewing. Whether it be mending a pair of her husband’s tattered old blue jeans, sewing a Halloween costume for her granddaughter, making curtains or hemming a blouse to fit her petite frame. She was ready to go, needle in hand. She also loved to visit the nearby Lakes with her daughter. They would pack up cold sandwiches & coca-colas and float around on their innertubes, laughing and bantering under their wide-brim straw hats. Her daughter Elvia was her best friend.
After retirement Teresa spent her summers with husband Fernando at the Laguna Mountains, Burnt Rancheria Campground. During those months they volunteered as Camp Rangers in the park. Trailer in tow, they set up camp within the pines and called it home. On their golf cart they would cruise the perimeters, welcome campers, recycle aluminum cans, clean park restrooms, and direct tourists to the best trails and scenic views around. Camping didn’t stop her from attending church either; there was a small wooden chapel down the road from camp which she visited every Sunday to pray.
Teresa was survived by a beautiful family who cared for her once she was widowed. Her children Elvia, Steve and Sam; her grandchildren Richard, Monica, Tony, Roxanne, and Amanda; as well as her great-granddaughters, Emilee, Savannah, Evelyn, Suzette, and Payge. She often travelled to Mexico City to visit her nieces, nephews, and siblings; or you could find her vacationing in Puerto Vallarta on the beach.
She is a true testament of living a full and healthy lifestyle. She valued her health, listened to her body’s needs, and stayed physically and mentally active to the last days of her life. She devoted herself to raising her children and grandchildren, being a faithful wife and serving God to the highest. She will be extremely missed and honored for as long as we, her family, live on.
