Doris Williams Martinez, 83, died Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, at her home in Santa Ana, Calif.
She was born Aug. 6, 1938, in the small town of Piper City, Ill., to Charles Wayne Williams and Anna Margaret Johnson Williams, and was the oldest of her three siblings, Shirley Jeanie Reeves (deceased in 2010), Richard Wayne Williams, and Mary Williams Kizer.
The family moved to Poneto when Doris was a young child, and she attended Chester Center School, graduating from high school in 1956.
After high school, Doris moved to Minneapolis, Minn. to attend business and airline school. She worked for Eastern Airlines in Detroit, Mich., as a reservation agent and later worked as a secretary for many years. Doris welcomed her first child, Melissa “Missy” Jane Williams Newman in 1959. Several years later during a night out, Doris met Juventino “Tino” G. Martinez, and he would go on to be her life partner and husband of over 55 years.
Doris was a stepmother to Ramon “Ray” R. Martinez, Juventino “Tino Jr.” R. Martinez Jr. (deceased in 2016), Juan “John” R. Martinez, Benigna “Bennie” Martinez Dase, and Roberto “Bob” R. Martinez.
In the late 1960s, Doris and Tino moved to Dallas, Texas, until 1975, when they continued west and settled in the southwest Los Angeles community in California. Doris welcomed her second daughter, Esperanza “Espie” Martinez, in 1981. She worked for various companies as a bookkeeper in the greater Los Angeles area, retiring from the business management firm A. Morgan Maree Jr. and Associates in 2003.
Doris and Tino moved to Bluffton to retire and enjoy a quiet life, but after two winters they were reminded of why they initially moved west. They relocated back to the southwest L.A. community and lived in Lynwood, Calif., from 2005-2015, until moving to Santa Ana to be closer to their daughter.
Doris enjoyed sewing, crocheting, various crafts, cooking, learning about different cultures, and traveling to various parts of Mexico to vacation, visit family, and embrace the culture. She also loved spending quality time with her chihuahua dog, Rusty, and liked to stay up to date on current events by watching the news and was active on social media.
She is survived by her husband Tino Sr., daughters Missy and Espie, stepsons Ramon, John and Bob, stepdaughter Bennie, 16 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral and memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 8, at the Hilgenfeld Mortuary, 120 E. Broadway, Anaheim, CA 92805