Rose D. Martinez

Rose D. Martinez of Cozad passed away Sunday, March 15, 2020 at Hilltop Estates in Gothenburg at the age of 91. Rose was born August 4, 1928 in Josselyn, Dawson County, Nebraska to Primo and Margaret (Duran) Gutierrez. She attended school at District 6 near Lexington and Cozad High School. Rose moved to Denver, Colorado and worked as a typist at the May Company and as a cashier at the Bonita Cafe before moving back to Lexington. On December 26, 1946 Rose married Gilbert J. Martinez. To this union 4 children were born: Kelly, Ben, Cynthia and Christine. Rose worked at the Highway Cafe and Dime Store in Lexington. They moved to Cozad in 1954. Rose worked at the Dixie Inn, taught Spanish at Cozad High School, and later owned her own restaurant La Hacienda. She was known for her Legendary Saturday Enchiladas and patrons would line up outside of the building for them. Later she worked at South Central. She was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church, VFW, Red Hat Society, Cozad Elks and Cozad DOES. Rose was a loving wife, mother & grandmother. She enjoyed cooking for her family and always had piles of fresh tortillas. Friends and strangers were always welcome at her table. She was a nurturing caregiver by nature and poured her love into her family, neighbors and residents she worked with at South Central. She was a railroader's wife and traveled often with her husband. She also enjoyed dancing, reading, needlepoint, gardening, camping and attending her grandchildren's activities. Rose was loving and kind. She will forever be our Beautiful Rose.

Rose was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; son, Ben Martinez; great grandchildren Carly Sue and John Raymond Sitorius, Nicolas Neil Freeman and Robert Strickland Jr.; brothers, Ben Gutierrez, Primo Gutierrez Jr., Santos Gutierrez and Marshall Gutierrez. Survivors include her children son, Kelly (Victoria) Martinez of LaSalle, CO, daughters, Cynthia Strickland of Cozad and Christine (Patrick) Gaudreault of Cozad; sister, Ann Marie Van Alst of Kansas City, MO; grandchildren, Kim Darling, Callie Brown, Tammy Hawley, Kelly Lawrence Martinez, Bobbette Sanchez, Robert Strickland, Suzzette Sitorius, Joseph Martinez, Meghan Martinez and Derek Devine; 38 great and great-great grandchildren.

Memorials are suggested to the family in her name for later designation. Private family services will be held Saturday, March 21, 2020. Public visitation with family present will be Friday, March 20, 2020 from 4 pm to 6 pm at Berryman Funeral Home. 

***Berryman Funeral Home is currently following the CDC guidelines for public gatherings until further notice. Funeral services will be limited to immediate family only. Visitations will be open to the public, but will be monitored to keep a safe number of guests in a space at one time. We urge attendees to follow recommended healthy habits such as social distancing, hand hygiene, covering cough and sneezes, etc. As an extra layer of precaution for those we serve, as well as our staff, we encourage people who are ill or who are part of an at-risk population (e.g., the elderly, immune-compromised, etc.) to stay home. We are dedicated to helping families commemorate the life of their loved ones in a safe manner that is consistent with federal, state and local guidance.