Martha Lidia Riquelme's Obituary
Martha Riquelme passed away on June 8, 2023. She was 93 years old.
Her life will be remembered as a remarkable tale of love and adventure.
Born Martha Lidia Espana Lemus on February 23, 1930, in the small town of Olopa, Guatemala, Martha was the darling daughter and sister of a grand family. A genuinely kind and beautiful young lady, Martha was so popular and esteemed by her peers she was voted and crowned the Queen of Olopa as a young teen - a title she would keep for years.
After completing high school with honors, and with a bright future ahead, Martha left her hometown of Olopa for Guatemala City where she enrolled in nursing school and began her path to adulthood.
After graduating from nursing school, Martha began working as a RN nurse in Guatemala City, caring for inpatients at the city’s university hospital. In what would become her destiny, Martha, while befriending an inpatient, met the love of her life - the patient’s son German. For the young man it was love at first sight. He would do - and ultimately did - anything and everything to marry her. And it was so. German and Martha married in 1955 and moved to the United States where they would spend the next 55 years together. They would stay together until the passing of German in 2010.
Martha had a passion for travel and adventure. Together with German - the love of her life, Martha traveled the world as an adventurer and as an aficionado of the World Cup of Soccer Tournament. Every four years from 1974 to 1994, Martha and German traveled the world over to spend the entire month visiting and spectating the World Cup Tournament in the chosen host country (Germany, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, and Italy). Martha truly loved traveling and seeing the world in all its beauty. Her house is full of beautiful memorabilia and photos from the various countries she visited.
Martha’s hobbies included photography. As an avid photographer, Martha amassed several volumes of photo albums detailing the life of her family and her travels. Martha was also an avid reader of daily newspapers, various magazines, and monthly periodicals. And in her spare time, she loved solving crossword puzzles and the sudoku.
Martha was an important member of the prominent and very well respected Espana family in Guatemala. Her indelible charisma and character led her siblings and brethren alike to regard Martha with such esteem that she assumed the role of scion of that great family for years with grace and loving kindness.
Martha is survived by her lovely three children - Ronnie, Eddie, Lydia. Each of us adored her in life, and now miss her dearly in death. A very loving and caring mother, Martha had traits and attributes we as her surviving children continue to strive to emulate. Her beautiful daughter, Lydia took a lifelong interest in travel and spent a career as a travel consultant. Her eldest son, Ronnie took after his father German, and spent a career as a contractor in the housing construction business. Her middle son, Eddie took to the life of study at the university, and spent his career in academia, government service, and politics.
A widow for the last 13 years, Martha continued to thrive and successfully keep family and friends together. And, finally, when the end of her years approached, her family and friends did not hesitate to return the love and care Martha had shown her entire life.
Indelible, charming, gregarious, and charismatic, Martha will be remembered fondly by all who knew her and loved her. She was very well regarded by family and friends alike.
Martha truly lived a full and complete life. She was fortunate the LORD gave her 93 years of life to live.
Thus ends a true love story - and a wonderful life filled with challenges, camaraderie, friendship, and adventure.
May The LORD bless our mother and friend Martha Riquelme
What’s your fondest memory of Martha?
What’s a lesson you learned from Martha?
Share a story where Martha's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Martha you’ll never forget.
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