Oliva Martinez was born to Manuel and Concepcion in the Mexican state of Veracruz, where she was raised with her brothers Manuel and Ricardo. She met Pablo, the love of her life, at a young age, and they had two children: Armando and Guadalupe. After Pablo’s sudden passing, Oliva ventured to America to find work.
For decades, Oliva fed and took care of people as a housekeeper and later as a kitchen worker at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She became a grandmother to Armando, Hector, Cinthia, Victor, and Joel. In her free time, Oliva loved to explore New York City and chat with her dear friends Martha, Clara, Angelita, and Celia. She knitted for the babies in her life and also donated countless handmade blankets to a local children’s charity. Although she spent most of her life in New York, Oliva often visited her beloved home country, where she and her daughter-in-law Socorro spent hours in the bustling Mexican street markets.
Oliva was an expert cook and baker, whose specialties included oatmeal cookies for her granddaughter-in-law Elizabeth. Oliva’s flan was second to none. She always preferred a homemade meal to eating at restaurants, with the exception of Pizza Hut, which she adored.
Oliva loved plants and flowers and could identify the rarest ones by name. Her love of flowers, especially roses, helped inspire the name of her great-granddaughter, Rosa. Oliva spent her final years in Los Angeles, surrounded by palm trees and her family.
Mt. Calvary Cemetery
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