Irene Lisbella Martinez

Our beloved wife, mother, and Nana Irene Lisbella Baldonado was born on September 15, 1943 in Canjilon, New Mexico. She left this world to be with her beloved Lord and Savior on April 2, 2023.

She was preceded in death by her parents Teodora Rosalía Madrid and Jose Ramón Baldonado II and brother Jose Ramon Baldonado III. She was married to Albert Martinez for 62 years. She had seven children five sons and two daughters. Her oldest daughter was a stillborn baby named Kathy. Irene had 18 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband Albert, sons Martin, Ray (Melissa), Ronnie (Lorraine), Onesimo “Onie” (Sarah), and Rafael, daughter Bernadette (Gilbert). Grandchildren include Lucas (Heather), Augustine, Lia (Jim), Isaac, Annah (Noel), Shaddon, Cheyenne, Marcos, Esmeraldo (Desiree), Andres, Dustin, Caleb, Trevor, Mireya, Lindsey, Kolby, Rosalie, and Kambrie. Great grandchildren include Avalene, Gracie Mae, Sawyer, Julianna, Javier, Manuel, Lianna and Amaryzz. She has one sister Josie (Mark) who she was close to. Irene loved her Lord Jesus Christ who she had a personal relationship with. She shared her faith with as many people as she could and truly believed in evangelizing. She loved to read her Bible daily and would buy a new one every so many years after highlighting them until they were worn down. Irene would give away her used bibles to grandkids or anyone else in the family who she thought of. She would also purchase several prayer books and Bibles and give them away. She went to school at a convent for one year in St. Louis, Missouri where she learned Latin. Irene hosted many prayer meetings/bible studies at her house many, many years ago. She believed in encouraging the younger generation to come to know Jesus. For many years, she organized the annual May crowning of the Virgen Mary. She would recruit up to 30 teenage girls from the Canjilon community to participate in the event. Irene was a Guadalupana in the Pilgrimage for Vocations where she was a trucker and was also an A.C.T.S. sister. Irene had a few jobs in her lifetime. She worked at the Ghost Ranch Conference Center in the kitchen and then got promoted as receptionist at the front desk. Most of her career, however, was as a mail route contractor for the U. S. Postal Service where she was currently employed and was proud of working in this job for 49 years. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. One of her family’s favorite memory of her was her humor and sayings which she referred to as “ah-ga-sah-hos”. She didn’t like technology although she had a cell phone. She refused to learn how to text or do email and even referred to Alexa as “the devil!!”. Irene loved to dance and was musically talented with which she used to serve the Lord by singing at her church. She loved old country songs and Christian music. Camping, shopping, doing her nails, and most importantly, spending hundreds of dollars at the Cornerstone Christian Bookstore in Santa Fe (where they knew her on a first name basis) were some of her favorite things.

Serving as Pallbearers are: Lucas, Isaac, Marcos, Dustin, Lindsey, and Trevor Martinez. Honorary Pallbearers are the rest of her grandchildren.

A rosary will take place at St. Juan Nepomuceno in Canjilon, New Mexico on April 5, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. and a Mass at 10:30 a.m. The burial will take place on the family plot following the Mass.

The family of Irene Martinez has entrusted the care of their loved to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of Espanola, New Mexico. www.devargasfh.com. 505-747-7477.