Eulogia Martinez of Hamilton, NJ, has passed away, leaving behind a family and community who loved her dearly.
What you read below is one part of a life lived with quiet purpose.
Eulogia spent her working life as ['custodian with the Trenton Board of Education until her retirement'] — and was, by all accounts, loved by those who knew her best.
Eulogia's children carry forward what was given to them.
Eulogia (Torres) Martínez, 84, passed away peacefully on May 2, 2026, at her home in Hamilton, NJ. Eulogia was born in Maunabo, Puerto Rico–a small coastal town with black sand beaches on the southeast of the island–to parents Felix Torres and Maria (Camacho) Rodriguez. As a devoted sister to her brother Rafael, Eulogia helped raise her younger brother on the farm where they grew up, and later moved to the mainland United States after attending secondary school in Puerto Rico.
At the age of 17, Eulogia moved from Puerto Rico to NYC and then to Trenton, New Jersey, where she worked industrial jobs at Circle F Manufacturing Company and Switlik Parachute & Equipment Company. There, she used her skills as a seamstress to create parachutes, survival products, industrial porcelain, and electrical switches.
In Trenton, Eulogia met her husband Candido and started a family of seven children: Rosemary, Wilberto, Miguel, Felicita, Sonia, Candido Jr. and Judy. Eulogia and Candido were the first Puerto Ricans to move into the all-White neighborhood of Chambersburg, and helped other immigrant and Latino families integrate and find work. She enjoyed cooking Puerto Rican specialties for holidays, crafting clothing for her children and grandchildren for special celebrations, taking care of the family pet bird cockatiels and dogs, and visiting her extended family in Puerto Rico. She had a green thumb evident in her beautiful blooms of English roses, African violets, and orchids–her favorite flowers.
In addition to hosting social events and family celebrations, Eulogia ran the household as matriarch, which included her many grandchildren. She later worked as a custodian with the Trenton Board of Education until her retirement. In the last years of her life, Eulogia struggled with dementia and passed away from Alzheimer's Disease.
Eulogia is survived by her children Rosemary Martinez, Miguel Martinez (spouse - JoEllen), Candido Martinez, Jr. (Carmen), and Judy Martinez-Cooper (BeeJay); 17 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, and her first great-great grandchild Alaia; siblings Olga Laboy, Pedro Rodriguez, Johnny Rodriguez, and Maria Rodriguez; and her dogs Molly and Mowgli.
She is predeceased by her husband Candido Martinez, daughters Sonia and Felicita Martinez, son Wilberto Martinez, and siblings Rafael Rodriguez, Joseph Rodriguez, William Rodriguez, Juan Laboy, and Yolanda Torres.
Visitation for family and friends will be held Friday, May 8, 2026, at Our Lady of the Angels Parish-Immaculate Conception Church, 540 Chestnut Avenue, Trenton, NJ, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of the Angels Parish-Immaculate Conception Church, 540 Chestnut Avenue, Trenton, NJ.
Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery, 1200 Cedar Lane, Hamilton, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, you may donate in Eulogia's memory to the Alzheimer's Foundation at https://alzfdn.org/donate/.
