Joaquin Martines

Joaquin Martines passed away peacefully on February 2, 2025, in Houston, Texas, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on August 10, 1947, in Coahuila, Mexico, to Pablo Marchan Martines and Leonor Garza Martines.
Joaquin spent much of his childhood in Washington state, where his immigrant parents settled near the Nooksack River. Surrounded by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, he developed a lifelong love for the outdoors, enjoying fishing, camping, and hiking. He graduated from Mt. Baker High School in 1965 and later earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Texas Permian Basin in 1993. He was very proud to be the first one of his family to graduate from college after 24 years of night school at several colleges. Joaquin believed strongly in the benefits of an Education.
In 1966, Joaquin married Georgiann Mahaffy, with whom he shared nearly six decades of love and partnership. Together they raised four children: Kathleen Topey (Terry Topey) of Spring, TX; Sean P. Martines (1968–2019) (Sarah LeFebvre) of Fairbanks, AK; Roseann Pisklak (Steve Pisklak) of Atascocita, TX; and Dr. Ian Martines (Dr. Theresa Busse Martines) of San Antonio, TX. Joaquin was also a proud grandfather to eight grandchildren: Lindsay Wilson (Eric Wilson), Marti Martines, Joaquin K. Martines (Alexis Carreon), Elijah Pisklak, Alex Pisklak, Juliana Martines, Brannon Cooper (Jon Cooper) and Dr. Brett Topey (Devon Anderson Topey), and four great-grandchildren: Emery Wilson, Sean R. Martines, Charlotte Earl and Jackson Cooper. Joaquin has two brothers; Martin and Polo Martines, of Washington. He became close to his three older step-siblings as an adult: Juan, Paula and Janie Martines.
Joaquin's career was marked by dedication to the health & safety of others. He began as a LVN nurse at Northern State Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, before transitioning to an emergency & safety role at ARCO's Cherry Point Refinery. He was the Fire Chief at Custer Volunteer Fire Department in Custer, Washington. His Safety Director career took him to Prudhoe Bay during the construction and start-up of the Alaskan Pipeline in 1977 and later to various locations across Alaska, Texas, Colorado, Venezuela, Tennessee, and Arizona.
A man of strong Christian faith, Joaquin enjoyed contributing to church communities. He was proud to serve as the Officiant for his granddaughter Lindsay's wedding in 2023. He enjoyed volunteering with his children's sports, clubs and school activities. He also loved geology, genealogy research and reading history books on the Civil War, the Wild West and WWII.
Joaquin's memory will live on through his family.
A memorial service will be held at Koenig-Belvill Funeral Home & Cremations, 208 W Pearl St., La Grange, TX 78945 at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11th, 2025.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations may be made to the AMEN La Grange Food Pantry in La Grange, Texas (https://amenlagrange.org).
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig-Belvill Funeral Home & Cremations, 208 W. Pearl St., La Grange, Texas. Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals.com.