Alejandro Carl Martinez

Alejandro "Alex" C. Martinez, a man of unrelenting determination, humor, curiosity and shenanigans, passed away on December 8, 2024, at 93 years old, after a courageous battle with Parkinson's disease.

Born on May 18, 1931, in Wagon Mound, New Mexico, Alex's life was a testament to resilience, hard work and adventure. He graduated from Menaul High School in Albuquerque and began his lifelong journey of service and exploration. Failing to impress his professors at Highland University, he tattooed “USN” on his wrist, but then enlisted in the U.S. Army where he found his calling. In 1952, he married the love of his life, Dorthy Henne, forming a partnership that would anchor their 64 years of adventures together.

Alex proudly served his country in combat in the 82nd Airborne Division as a forward observer during the Korean War and later in Vietnam. In his 20-year military career he achieved the rare distinction of holding almost every enlisted rank before retiring as a captain in the U.S. Army. A gifted teacher, he instructed students and foreign officers on missile systems worked for Western Electric on the ABM Missile Systems in North Dakota, authored handbooks on biomedical test equipment while instructing at Fitzsimons Army Hospital and briefly taught at Princeton University.

In 1975, Alex and Dorthy shifted their focus to business, purchasing their first motel and restaurant in Roggen, Colorado, and later expanding into Cheyenne, Wyoming, with another motel, followed by opening Old Buffalo Liquors next to the Pepper Pod Restaurant in Hudson Despite his many ventures, Alex always made time for his passions. An avid golfer, hunter and adventurer, he embraced challenges-especially anything that might cause him fear in some manner. He hated flying, so he became a Paratrooper. He was a poor swimmer, so he learned to scuba dive well enough to explore shipwrecks around the Kwajalein Island while serving there in the 1960’s.

Although his father was “busy elsewhere” throughout his childhood, Alex was cherished by his mother Shonita, beloved Grandparents and Aunt’s and Uncles who stepped in and taught him that family was everything. He and his beloved wife Dorthy raised two daughters who joined him in his soldier’s life all over the world. Alex's pride in his wife and daughters was without exception. When his daughter Beth was born (instead of the son they had expected) he joyfully proclaimed, "Girls are better than boys anyway!”. That being said, Alex expected his Bethie to be exceptional at not only everything girls could do, but everything any boy could do as well. His second daughter Kathrine (dubbed Khaki by her big sister) was raised the same way and was ultimately inspired to secure a Senatorial appointment to the first class of women at Wes Point in 1976-an achievement that amazed even her Dad.

Beth disappointed her Dad by heading away to college and after graduating she made things worse by getting married. Fortunately, she had found a man who could withstand her father. Her David Martin became “Primo” to his challenging father-in-law and all was well until a few years later when Alex was informed he was going to be a grandpa. True to form, he proclaimed that he simply would not. If anything, he would just be “Uncle Alex”. Well, Uncle Alex disappeared after Alex met his “Queen” Amy and things only got better when Rachel “Sanchesita” arrived. The Grandparents delighted in caring for the girls no matter how busy they were. The pool was kept ready, Grandpa Alex took them for donkey and tractor rides, allowed them to check in motel guests, answer the switchboard, and anything else they decided to do. It did not matter if they were only five years old Many years later, when grea granddaughter, Vivian arrived, things started all over again with another girl that could do anything a boy could do-only better, perhaps. These girls inherited Alex and Dorthy’s spirit, persistence, work ethic, sharp wit, and empathy and delighted them without limit.

In scouring the thousands of photos for pictures of Alex, we realized that few were of him because he was usually the one behind the camera. If found in one, it would usually be with Dorthy, a baby, a beloved dog, a golf club, or his uniform.

Alex is survived by his daughter Elizabeth “Beth” Martin and her husband David, their daughters Amy Jackson (husband Cole) with great granddaughter Vivian Regalado, and Rachel Martin who was loved more than she deserved since she had eaten all of his black jellybeans once when she was little. Alex was predeceased by his daughter Kathrine in 2014 and beloved Dorthy in 2016.

Alex recently quipped that no one would be at his funeral service because he had "outlived most of his family, friends, and enemies so was working hard on making new Enemies”. He was a challenging man if you failed to impress him, seldom minced his words or kept his thoughts to himself. Whether as a trustee for the City of Fort Lupton, an explorer of shipwrecks, or a paratrooper defying gravity and bullets, Alex lived life with fearless tenacity and leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, and perseverance. He will be ever so missed by most who really knew him and his many friends of Bill.

Services will be held at Tabor-Rice Funeral Chapel in Brighton, CO located at 75 S. 13th Ave., Brighton, CO 80601 on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. Internment will occur at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to organizations supporting the fight agai Parkinson’s, www.Parkinson.org/ Multiple Myeloma www.TheMMRF.org or to support the great work at Menaul High School (www.MenaulSchool.org/ ) in Alex's honor.

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