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CARMEN MARTIN Obituary
CARMEN MARTIN
On Thursday, August 14, 2014, Carmen Romero Martin, (86) of Ellicott City, MD, formerly of Riverdale, MD passed away unexpectedly. Wife of the late John "Jack" Joseph Martin. Loving mother of Lori M. Gauvin, Rob Martin and his wife Emily, Michael Martin and his wife Anita and Doug Martin; sister of Esteban Romero from Puerto Rico. She is also survived by her grandchildren who affectionately called her "Lita"; Kelly Gauvin, Christopher, Daniel, Eric and Nicole Martin.Family and friends are invited to gather at the Gary L. Kaufman Funeral Home at Meadowridge Memorial Park, Inc., 7250 Washington Boulevard, Elkridge, MD 21075 (exit 6 off Rt. 100) on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 from 3 p.m. till the start of the Memorial Service at 4 p.m. Inurnment will be held at a later date. If desired, memorial contributions may be made in her name to a charity of your choice. www.garylkaufmanfuneralhome.com
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Memories and Condolences
for CARMEN MARTIN
Theresa Carzon
October 7, 2014
Dear Lori and Rob, Mike and Doug, I am still thinking of you and wanted to let you know how sorry I am for your loss. Whenever I think back on our childhood I will always have fond memories of those days and will always remember your Mom/Carmen as a happy and beautiful person. I will try not to waste water and have a great banana bread recipe because of her. She will be missed.
Love,
Coleen Mennucci
September 2, 2014
Beautiful eulogy Mike. You were a wonderful son to your mother. It is hard to lose a parent no matter how old we are...She raised a very proud family and I know you have great memories to last forever. I'm sorry for your loss and you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
August 28, 2014
Sending our deepest sympathy for Carmen's family. Your mother's warm heart and free spirit was always a constant that we will miss dearly. Wishing the family many happy memories to carry you through this difficult time. It was such a great pleasure to know your mother.
Procedures Desk- Centennial Medical Group
Michael Martin
August 22, 2014
Eulogy for Carmen R. Martin
August 19, 2014
Written and delivered by Michael Martin (son)
Mom was a proud Puerto Rican. Dad was a proud Irishman. Which makes us kids half Puerto Rican and half Irish (btw, my boys like to refer to themselves as Quarter Ricans). Without trying to stereotype or profile either nationality, I believe Rob, Lori, Doug and I share in some interesting and sometimes conflicting character traits. One is how we deal with emotions. The Irish in us wants to keep things bottled up and internalize our emotions while the Puerto Rican in us wants to let it all out and show our emotions to the world. To be able to get through this eulogy without breaking down, I'm hoping that the Irish in me will win out. Please bear with me as I try to do this. And if I reach for a beer before finishing, that's good, because it means the Irish side is winning.
Carmen R. Martin was born on May 4, 1928 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was the daughter of Esteban and Maria Romero and had one sibling, Esteban (Uncle Steve). She came to the States in 1946 and attended Mount Saint Joseph's College in Ohio, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Languages. She met her future husband Jack Martin at a church function in the DC area. They married in 1954 and started their family in Riverdale, Md. They had four great kids in Douglas, Michael, Robert and Lori and were happily married for 19 years.
Mom went by several names. Besides mom and mother, she was also know as Titi Carmen to her nieces, Miss Carmen to the Conte Family and most of the kids in our neighborhood, Carm or Carmen to most of her friends, Nena to her mother, Maria; Sochi to her brother, Steve, and her friends in Puerto Rico; and Lita to her grandchildren.
As I said, Mom was a proud Puerto Rican. She was fiery – emotional, loving, quick tempered. Dad was calm, even-tempered, mild mannered. They made a great team. They were best friends and complimented each other extremely well. Dad worked two jobs while Mom ran the household. And she ran a tight ship. With us kids, she was the field general, the capitan, the law. The house was always well decorated, stylish and clean. She made sure we always did our chores and ate dinner together as a family each evening. Mom had a unique way of summoning us kids to the table. You may have heard of a dinner bell, well we had a dinner whistle. It was a loud, high-pitched ship's whistle that could be heard blocks away. Once that whistle was blown, we were on the run and God help us if she had to blow it again or we were late. Everyone in our neighborhood knew about the Martin dinner whistle and frequently helped us kids to make sure we got home in time (thanks Nancy, Richard and Joette).
Mom was also great cook. It was one of her passions in life that she inherited from her mother, Maria (our Abuela). Growing up, I never gave much thought to Mom's cooking or how good it was until I joined the Coast Guard. Then I learned quickly how food tasted on the other end of the quality spectrum. She was great cook. Whether it was a Spanish dish like Pastillo's or something more traditional like fried chicken, her homemade fudge or any of her baked goodies, it was all great. And she loved doing it. She was always giving baked treats to neighbors and friends. The UPS guy, mailman and garbage collector were also lucky recipients of her baking during the Holidays. Growing up, I remember Mom baking dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies starting shortly after Thanksgiving and putting them in our downstairs freezer to keep until Christmas. Every Christmas Mom would pull those cookies out of the freezer and think she didn't have enough. So each following year she would bake even more, store them in the freezer, bring them out for Christmas and never be satisfied with the quantity. To this day, all of us Martin kids still prefer the taste of frozen cookies over room temperature.
Mom loved her family. Her brother, Steve, her children and grandchildren meant the world to her. She especially loved spending time and spoiling her grandchildren Kelly, Christopher, Daniel, Eric and Nicole. While Mom loved all of them equally and would never single out a favorite, there was no denying the special bond she had with her first grandchild, Kelly. You only need to look at Kelly's left shoulder blade to see evidence of that bond. I'm not a big fan of tattoos, but I love that one.
In my opinion, Mom's greatest accomplishment was having the strength and determination to keep the family together through thick and thin. In July of 1973 her best friend, husband of 20 yrs, and father of her children, Jack, had a heart attack and was suddenly gone. The emotional and financial burden she had to endure was enormous. At the time, we kids were 17, 16, 15 and 13. But Mom was strong and kept it together for the sake of the family. That was a very rough time but Mom showed her true colors and came through for us.
Several years later, I left home when I joined the Coast Guard, eventually landing in central New York where I started my own family. Doug left shortly after me and established his home in Atlanta. Rob, Lori and their respective families remained in Maryland close to Mom. Even though Doug and I would visit when we could, it wasn't easy. I was always envious of Rob and Lori for having had so much more time with Mom. I'm also very thankful to both of them for being there for her to help out when needed. I'm especially thankful to my sister, Lori. Lori and Mom had a very special relationship. They knew each other very well and were extremely close. They communicated almost daily and could easily sense each others feelings and moods. They would do many things together..…. ranging from drinks and appetizers at a local watering hole to making trips to the beach together. As Mom got older and started needing more help, Lori was right there to make sure she took her medicine, made her doctor's appointments and ate enough. Thanks Sis. I appreciate all you did for Mom and I know she did too. I love you.
Over the past 30 years, Thanksgiving became our time to reunite. Mom loved Thanksgiving because it brought together her two favorite things, cooking and her family. Doug and I have been pretty good about consistently making the trip home for Thanksgiving. Having us all together was the highlight of Mom's year and she cherished those moments especially once the grandchildren started arriving. Occasionally Uncle Steve would make the trip from Puerto Rico and that just made the holiday even more special.
So now Mom is reunited with Dad. Carmen is back with her beloved Jack after 40 years. I know Dad has enough sense not to complain about the delay because he knows Mom would just say, “Conyo, I had things to do, I had our family to take care of”. And that she did…so thanks Mom. Thanks for all you did and the joy you brought to everyone who knew you. We'll always love you and will miss you very much.
Zee and John Pagano
August 19, 2014
We want to send our deepest condolences to all of you. We were shocked by the news of Carmen's passing. We have not met any of you, but we met your Mom through Alicia in Puerto Rico and she then started to stay at our Condo at McLeary after that, every year in the Feb-Mar time frame. We met on a couple of occasions. We hit it off and still remember her laugh when we discussed our families which were very similar. We are blessed and so was she with our children and grandchildren. We were good friends from a distance. Sincerely, Zoraida (Zee) and John Pagano
Tan Carmen in Puerto Rico
Julie Atwell
August 19, 2014
Carmen,
I am sad that you have left for your place in heaven - one day we will meet again and catch up on the 'condo gossip' for a good laugh. In the meantime, I will continue to earn feathers for my angel wings. I will always have you in my heart and the wonderful memories of your visits to Puerto Rico. Watch over your family and keep them safe. Until we meet again!!
Pat Douglas
August 18, 2014
Lori,
There's no love like a Mother's love. My deepest sympathy to you and your family. I will always remember your Mom's beautiful smile. You are in my thoughts and prayers,
August 18, 2014
I am so sorry to hear the loss of your wonderful Mother. I will always have the warmest memories of her and your family. My deepest sympathy goes out to you and your families. Patty Proctor
August 18, 2014
Michael and family -- I am deeply sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. I remember her fondly, as a beautiful and vivacious woman. My heart goes out to you and your family. Steve Proctor (Malabar, Florida)
Margaret Bagley
August 18, 2014
I'm so sorry for your loss. I really liked Carmen. We had do much fun at Ikea. My prayers for your heart peace.
Barbara Stewart
August 18, 2014
We are so sorry for your loss. Carmen was a lovely lady in every way. She was our sorority sister for many years. We were blessed with her beautiful spirit and sense of humor and shared many good times. Sincerely, Gloria Fusco, Jackie Mazzullo,Barbara Stewart,Sandra Phillips and Patsy Norman, Sigma Beta Sorority,Alpha Nu Chapter.
OCC LER Team
August 18, 2014
We wish you our deepest sympathies to your family in this time of need
John Richardson
August 18, 2014
Please accept my thoughts and prayers regarding the loss of your Mom. She was always kind and welcoming to all the kids in Beacon Heights. All the best, John Richardson.
Ken and Carole Gatto
August 17, 2014
Rob, Emily and family - so sorry for your loss. You have our deepest sympathy.
Mary Dinan
August 17, 2014
Hi Mike and family,
Carmen was so classy that she made us dinner for a date way back in the day! I will never forget her beautiful spirit and smile. She surely shines on. Love to you all, affectionately, Mary Dinan Dolan
Mike Denny
August 17, 2014
So Sorry to hear about Carmen. A lovely woman that I am lucky to have met though my friend (her son) Doug
Bob Klotz
August 17, 2014
Mike and family: so sorry to hear of your loss. Carmen was a powerful force - and I know she will remain so in the hearts of many. Our thoughts, love and best wishes are with you. Love, Bob and Katja - and the Klotz family.
Brenda Haarding
August 17, 2014
Carmen was a special lady. And lady she was. Classy yet down to earth. I used to see her at the beach with Lori. Always thought her drink of choice, scotch and milk, was pretty funny. She will be missed, but will be the life of the party in her next life! God bless her and her family!
Jackie Royster
August 17, 2014
My deepest condolences to the whole family!
August 16, 2014
Mike and Family,
We are so sorry for the loss of your mom. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this most difficult time.
Love,
Rich and Rhonda Metz
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Gary L. Kaufman Funeral Home at Meadowridge Memorial Park7250 Washington Blvd, Elkridge, MD 21075
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