Encarnacion (Martin) Peters

Our mother was born on July 17, 1928 in Los Alcazares, Murcia, Spain to Juana Gutierrez Ortigosa and Salvador Martin Sanz. She had an older sister, Falita. Her father was serving in the Spanish Air Force and was stationed in Los Alcazares. Her mother’s family lived close by in the town of La Union.

During the Spanish Civil War, the family continued to live in Los Alcazares. Our mother was 11 years old when the war ended. For the next several years, our mother and her sister lived with different family members through the region but eventually, they moved to Madrid. There Falita and our mother attended a convent school for several years. Our mother was a very independent and strong woman. She wore slacks before it was fashionable to do so and was the first woman to ride a Vespa through the streets of Madrid. When she and Falita started working at the Department of the Spanish Air Force as secretaries, our mother’s boss saw her independence as a strength and potential for growth. He had her transferred to work at the American Air Force Base, Torrejon, to improve her English.

This is where she met our father. They were married in Madrid on July 6, 1957. They moved to Washington D.C. in November and she found out she was pregnant with Ana. They then moved to Altus AFB in Oklahoma and Ana was born on June 6, 1958. On June 30, 1959, Eddie and Charlie were born. Eddie always reminded Charlie that he was the older brother by five minutes.

We left for England and spent two years stationed outside of London. Falita came frequently to visit and we spent a lot of time in Los Alcazares and Madrid during this time.

My father was then transferred to Salina, Kansas for two years and then to Tuscon, Arizona for two years. Then he was transferred to Vietnam and we moved to Madrid to be close to family and friends.

After Vietnam, the Air Force took us to the Philippines for two years. After the Philippines, we moved to Altus AFB and our dad decided to retire after 22 years in the Air Force.

We then moved to San Jose, CA until 1971. Our mother’s mother (our Abuela), who spoke no English and had never flown before, flew to California to stay with us for six months. During this time, our mother started going to junior college. Our Abuela loved to play Parchis and so did our mother. From there we moved to Northglenn and our Abuela came to Colorado to spend time with us and to help my mother. Our mother finished junior college and started at the University of Colorado working on her Bachelors in Spanish Literature. Our mother loved moving and experiencing new places and people.

Our parents brought their home in 1973 in Aurora. Our mother graduated from the University of Colorado and started working at Bishop Machebeuf as the Spanish teacher. She worked there for almost 20 years. During this time she earned her Masters in Spanish Literature attending classes at the University of Colorado at Denver and University of Colorado. Our mother was a highly intelligent woman.

In 1993, she decided to stop smoking and went through a study at the Veteran’s Hospital. A year after the study was done she learned that she had been taking a placebo but she never smoked again.

She loved her six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She loved it when they would come over for Sunday dinner. She always made Paella and Alioli because all the children loved it. Everything my mother made was wonderful. She loved watching the PBS food programs, buying recipe books, and cutting out recipes out of magazines.

Our mother was very supportive of her family. She loved taking care of Angela and Marina by picking them up from school or dropping them off at one of their activities. When the girls were ill, she would tell me to take them over and not to worry. She attended many school and Church functions that the girls were involved in.

When Eddie died from a work related accident a part of her died with him. She was so happy when Charlie retired from the Navy and moved to Wyoming to attend Law School. She loved having all of her family living in Colorado.

The last four years have been hard on her. She was a very active person and loved to shop at the Commissary and BX at Buckley AFB. She missed attending the Military Widows monthly luncheons and other activities. Every time she went into the hospital everyone thought this was it. She always pulled through and worked hard at rehab at the different facilities and her home. Her favorite activities at home were playing Parchis, watching “The Big Bang Theory”, and visiting with family and friends.

Her death was unexpected but now she is with Eddie and the rest of her family and friends. She will be buried next to our father in Sallisaw, Oklahoma.

A rosary service was held at 6 pm followed by the Funeral Mass at 6:30 pm, at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 13670 E. 13th Pl., Aurora, CO 80011 under the direction of Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary in Wheat Ridge Colorado.

Funeral services will be held in Sallisaw, Oklahoma on Friday, May 25, 2018 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church at 10 am with interment to follow at Peters Cemetery under the direction of Agent Mallory Martin Funeral Home in Sallisaw.