Mary Elizabeth Ramos (Martinez) was born in McLennan County, Waco, Texas, on December 6, 1932. Mom would always say the snow was so bad that the doctor almost didn't make it to her birth. As she told it, it was snowing, and the doctor and (nuns) barely made it to our Grandma and Grandpa's house. There was a problem during the birth, and the doctor told Grandpa, "either your wife or the baby might make it but not both." Our mom was pulled out (arm dislocated), and they both made it! The nuns named her Mary Elizabeth.

Mom was the firstborn child of Andrew O. Martinez and Carmen H. Martinez, my grandparents mentioned above. I am not sure how many of her siblings were born, but the time they moved to Corpus Christi, but mom ended up with three brothers and two sisters; they were the original Brady Brunch. The late Andrew Martinez Jr., Louis Martinez, Gilbert Martinez, the late Fanny Gonzales, and Gregoria (Greg) Hernandez.
As an adult in Corpus Christi, mom married Jose Esquivel Ramos Sr. a transfer from Falfurrias, Texas. She became a stay at home mom raising my brothers and sister, William "Billy" Joe Daniel, Jose E "Zeke" Jr, Mary Christina, and I. The whole time mom took care of raising us and the house, she would volunteer as a homeroom mom and work at our school library as a reading tutor. Being a room mother while we all attended elementary was just one of the many things she was outstanding at. In the 60s and 70s – there was no catalog to order from, no website to get items shipped – she made everything! I remember her soaking baby food jars to get the wrappers off and then painting Santa's faces on them. Making felt Santa hats and filling the jars with candy for every single kid in the class. Then the next year, cutting and sewing felt stockings putting the name of each kid on them. When I asked why she didn't just do the jars again since she had some of the stuff already, she said she didn't want any of my classmates to get the same thing twice.
To become a reading tutor, she had to get her certification; I don't remember when she took the classes, but she did. She loved helping and working with students, especially one on one, as needed. I remember she started bringing soap and a washcloth to school in a little bag. A little girl came to school that needed a little help cleaning up; mom washed her face and arms, brushed her hair, and then taught her to read. In mom's last few years, with her memory fading – she would ask Daniel to ask me about the girl. I told her that she had done well and that I saw her years later. Mom always smiled when I told her that.

Mom was an original strong working mom. Before I was born, my Dad worked at ARADMAC but was laid off because the base was closed. During part of this time, mom went to work while he stayed home. And like most women of that time, she still came home and did all the cooking and cleaning. Later, Dad went to San Antonio to work at Kelly Air Force base and traveled back and forth to Corpus every weekend. One day my Dad told Mom to let the house go to the state (they were building Cross Town Expressway) and move to San Antonio; mom said No! Instead, Mom managed to get the government to pay off the house and then move it to a new lot. Mom loved her home. She made all the curtains and bedspreads and would change them to be seasonal. She would paint the house's trim every few years, mostly by herself, and she kept everything spotless. At some point, my mom began working at my grandma's Boutique shop. I do not remember exactly when, but I could use my beginner's driver's license to pick her up when the shop closed. Mom never really liked driving; she would always say that she rode her bicycle everywhere as a young girl in Waco.

Mom loved working with her mom and dealing with customers. That's where mom would shine. She could talk about anything and everything, always smiling. I can remember it like yesterday, mom and grandma at the counter and grandpa reading the newspaper in front of a fan while fighting the fan blowing the paper around, oh, and me thinking, when can we close. When my grandma decided to retire, my Dad bought my mom a building of her own, and Mary's Curio shop was born. Mom loved her shop and her customers. Dad would say it doesn't make much money, but it makes mom happy. Its funny I remember mom upfront at the counter and Dad in the back reading the newspaper in front of an AC window unit; at least it wasn't a fan.

One year my brother was in a severe car accident that the doctors first believed he might not recover from. Mom and Dad spent every minute by his bedside. My brother recovered, but soon after, his son, my nephew Joseph got incredibly sick from cancer and ultimately passed away. Mom stopped opening the shop daily and then never really ever opened the shop again after that. I think almost losing their son and then losing their grandson took a toll on them. I know mom missed the shop, but she never stopped smiling and telling her stories. At this point, mom and Dad would spend their time at home together with their other grandkids and where mom would support Dad's love for the Houston Astros and Dallas Cowboys. Dad would listen to the Astros on a little radio even if they were playing on TV. Mom never really watched the games, but she would listen and ask what the score was or why they made that play.

On March 8, 2009, Dad passed suddenly in his sleep. I never really saw mom break down and cry, but I know she did. Afterward, she would ask us to put the Astros and Cowboys games on (including the little radio), and she would listen in the background. Mom would spend time at the house with the grandkids in the time that followed, but we all knew it was never the same without our Dad. Mom was never really alone because all her kids would visit as often as we could. When we saw mom, she would talk our ears off and laugh at just about anything. She loved to laugh and smile. Everyone always says they have or had the best mom ever. I know we did. Mom raised us, was involved in our schools, started working, and ran a business while always being involved in our daily lives. Mom and Dad made themselves available to watch and take care of their grandkids always. After Dad passed, mom still did all she could for her kids and grandkids. She always wanted to be there for us even when her age kept her from it and we started taking care of her. To everyone else, she was Mary Elizabeth Ramos. To us, she was a wonderful mom and such a happy person. She will surely be missed.

A visitation will be held on October 21 at Guardian Funeral Home at 9am-11am. The Holy Rosary and Funeral Mass will be held at 11:15am at S.S. Cryril & Methodius Catholic Church. Burial will follow at 1pm at Rose Hill Memorial Park.