Lazaro Martinez, of Devine, passed away this past August due to complications of COVID-19. He was 63. Mr. Martinez provided a great service to our community for the past 14 years, spending countless hours caring for St. Joseph Cemetery in Devine, where he has now been laid to rest.
“He was at home sick for 20 days, and my mom finally told him ‘Hey you’ve been isolated for too long,’ asking him to come out of the spare bedroom…He went to a med clinic to get rechecked, and they told him it was negative, but his oxygen level was low. So they called an ambulance and transferred him to San Antonio, where they said he had Pneumonia,” said daughter Sandra Martinez Alvarez. “Shortly after they put him on ventilator he suffered a heart attack.”
Mr. Martinez worked for the City of San Antonio for over 19 Years. He was going to retire from city of SA soon, where he has been a meter reader for many years.
“My dad also took care of St. Joseph’s cemetery in Devine since 2006 after his father passed. My grandpa took care of it prior to that. My Dad was the world’s Best Dad in my eyes…best husband, grandpa, uncle, brother, you name it. I don’t think there’s a person around here that could say anything bad of him. He wore a mask, feared Covid, and he got it.”
It is another sad reminder that our masks protect others, not necessarily ourselves so much.
She stated that she wishes doctors could have tried hydroxicloroquine. The FDA revoked the Emergency Use Authorization of the drug this past June, and there has been much controversy about it.
“My Dad and so many others are passing when there are meds to help fight COVID… Something isn’t right. My Dad was the world’s best Dad Grandpa, great-grandpa, and Husband to his loving wife of 43 years … He leaves a lot of broken hearts behind. He took care of everyone. This awesome man now rests at the cemetery he took care of. Broken hearts left until We see him again.”