Rufina Martinez, 93, of Fort Madison, IA, died at 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, December 14, 2023, at Birkwood Village in Fort Madison. She was born in Fort Madison on July 18, 1930, she was the daughter of Vincente & Maria Fuentes Mendez. On September 15, 1950, she married Leonard Martinez in Fort Madison, he preceded her in death on February 16, 2003. Rufina was a homemaker and had worked at Sheaffer Pen in her early years. She was a member of Sacred Heart Church & Guadalupanas and volunteered at the LULAC Club, Aquinas (HTC) and elsewhere rolling tacos. She enjoyed cooking, gardening and especially spending time with her family & friends. She would reminisce of the times she and her mother would grind corn by hand for tamales and they would sing their favorite songs while they worked.
She is survived by: one daughter: Laura (Sam) Lozano of Fort Madison; five sons: David (Pat) Martinez, Dominic Martinez, Eric (Donna) Martinez, Mark Martinez & Jeff Martinez, all of Fort Madison; 17 grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren; 2-sisters: Sally (Santiago) Hernandez of Fort Madison & Anna (John) Luna of Galesburg, IL; 3-brothers: Abie (Julia) Mendez of Fort Madison, Roger Mendez of Fort Madison, Jerry (Irene) Mendez of Livermore, CA and numerous nieces & nephews. Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters, five brothers, and one daughter-in-law.
A rosary will be recited at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, December 18, 2023 at Sacred Heart Church immediately followed by a visitation until 11:00 a.m. The funeral mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church with Fr. Gary Beckman officiating. Burial will be held at Sacred Heart Cemetery. A memorial has been established in Rufina’s memory and contributions may be left at the church during the services. Online condolences may be left for the family at the King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory website: www.kinglynk.com.
