Obituary

Michael Albert Martinez, Jr., age 27, of Goodyear, AZ died October 5, 2019, in Glendale, AZ. He was born May 6, 1992, in Flagstaff, AZ to Michael Albert Martinez, Sr. and Joy (Hamilton) Adams. Michael attended Desert Star School as well as Desert Edge High School in Goodyear, AZ. He was active in youth sports and played in Pop Warner Football and Little League Baseball. He was a member of the Desert Edge baseball team. He was employed as a cook and a manager for Nina’s, an event service company.

Michael was an avid outdoorsman. He loved fishing and spending a day on the lake wakeboarding. He was always ready for any adventure on his 4-wheeler. He enjoyed car shows and working on cars, especially old Chevy trucks. He appreciated all types of music and was equally happy listening to country music as he was rapping on YouTube. He enjoyed traveling, even if it was for work obligations.

Always smiling and happy, Michael was a gentle giant. He was very well mannered and a true gentleman. He loved his nieces and nephews and took excellent care of his mother when she became ill. His friends and family will miss him deeply.

Michael is survived by his mother, Joy Adams, and stepfather, Tony Adams; father, Michael Martinez, Sr. and stepmother, Daneil Martinez; sister, Wendy Vandergriff; brothers, Jordan Delgado, and Jay Vandergriff; grandmother, Victoria Oakman; nieces, Safire Delgado, Maria Joy Avery, and Aniya Avery; nephews, Braedyn Kindred, Kymani Delgado, Royale Kindred, Andres Delgado, Wesley Culp, Ayden Dalrymple, and Zyer Avery, and his beloved dog, Whiskey. He was preceded in death by his maternal great grandparents, Raymond and Evelyn Hamilton, and paternal, great-grandparents, Gavino and Lucy Reyes.

A visitation will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, Thursday, October 10, 2019, at Thompson Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Road, Goodyear, AZ 85338. A funeral service will be held at 8:00 am Friday, October 11, 2019, at Thompson Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow at West Resthaven Cemetery. A reception will be held at the American Legion Hall, 6822 N. 57^th Drive, Glendale, AZ 85301. The family suggests that donations be made to Alzheimer’s Association, https://alz.org/get-involved-now/donate, or American Association for Cancer Research, https://donate.aacr.org.