Martha Ruiz Salinas

 Martha Ruiz Salinas, beloved mother, wife and grandmother from Corpus Christi, Texas, passed away November 4, 2024, at the age of 87 with her three children by her side.

 Martha was born on October 19, 1937, in Kingsville, Texas. She was the proud daughter of Abel Falcon Ruiz and Candida Dora Perez Alvarez Ruiz. They moved to Corpus Christi, Texas when Martha was three years old. In 1945, at the age of seven, her parents opened Ruiz Tamales and Tortillas Factory in which she was actively involved with most of her life.

 Martha attended George Evans Elementary, Corpus Christi Cathedral, and graduated from Incarnate Word Academy High School in 1957. In 1961, she graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas with a bachelor’s degree in Art. Her passion and talent were in oil paintings and design which were displayed beautifully throughout her house.

Earning her master’s degree from Texas A&I University Kingsville in 1962, she became both a certified art teacher and a certified school librarian. Her first job as librarian was at Gregory Portland High School in Gregory, Texas from 1962-1965 where she had the privilege of designing the library for the new high school in Portland, Texas. In 1967, Martha was the first librarian of the then new Moody High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. She became the school librarian in 1969 at Richard King High School in Corpus Christi, Texas while taking over the family tamale and tortilla business full time plus devoting her time to her children.

 Martha was involved with the Corpus Christi community all of her life. Along with her parents, she was a charter member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church which was a few blocks away from Ruiz Tortilla Factory. Her father, a direct descendant of Capitan Blas Maria de la Garza Falcon, the first official settler of Nueces County, Texas in the late 1700’s, had a direct part in establishing the chapel built devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Joseph’s Church. Martha was also a charter member and the first secretary of the West Side Business Association. She was a 1957 member of the Royal Court of Mardi Gras for the Diocese of Corpus Christi. She was an officer and lifetime member of the Hi-Fairnessee Girls Club, one of the oldest Hispanic high school girls club in the nation, in which she hosted many gatherings until her passing. Martha was an active member of St. Pius X Catholic Church since 1968 and was dedicated to the Corpus Christi Chapter of the Spanish American Genealogical Association (SAGA). 

 Martha will be remembered for many things. One was her firm belief in higher education. She believed education was the key to a better life and, like her own mother, made sure her children and grandchildren were able to achieve their dreams through higher learning. She was devoted to the study of genealogy. She was able to travel to Spain to visit the city of Huelva where her ancestors left in the 1500’s to the New World. Martha was a proud member of the Hi-Fairnessee club. From this club, she made lifelong memories and friends. She was a devout Catholic and had an unwavering faith instilled in her by her cherished parents. 

 Martha is preceded in death by her husband, Jose D. Salinas, a lifelong educator from Hebbronville, Texas with whom she married in 1965 at the Corpus Christi Cathedral, her parents, Abel Falcon Ruiz and Candida Dora Perez Alvarez Ruiz, and her younger brother, Abel Ruiz, Jr., who passed away at nine months old. 

 Martha is survived by her daughters, Loreen Salinas, Linda Salinas (Russell Grupe), her son Michael Salinas (Marianne Salinas) of Houston, Texas, and her two beloved grandchildren, Sebastian and Annika Salinas. 

 Martha’s legacy of love, kindness, and faith will live on in the hearts of her family and friends. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew her.