Felipe R. Martinez

On December 12, 2019, I lost the most important man of my life, my father. It is hard to honor someone in a few paragraphs, but I will do my best. If you have ever met my father, even for a short time, you probably fell in love with him. It was hard not to. He had the best smile, and he smiled often. Most of the time, he did not even realize he was smiling. He was friendly and kind to everyone he met. He greeted you as if he had not seen you in years even if it was just the other day. His default was to love first and get to know you second. As his daughter, I felt his love every day I was with him. I cannot remember a day I was around him that he was not happy to see me. I do not say this as a compliment to myself, but as a testament to what type of father he was. I was not an easy daughter to raise but, when I walked into a room, he looked at me as if I were perfect. I aspire to be that type of parent to my own children. He was sensitive and caring and not afraid of showing it. My dad had not always been that way. This was a slow evolution that was beautiful to witness. He taught me that life is about evolving and hopefully becoming a better version of yourself as the years go by. He would forgive and let go. He never held grudges. He loved unconditionally. He was so funny. He was mischievous. For some reason, he would always have us laughing at funerals. He giggled a lot. He had a playful spirit. I think that is why he enjoyed being around children, and children were drawn to him. Equal to his love of children, was his love for animals, especially dogs. There was no shortage of either in our big family. When his dog Kimby was alive, he would walk him for miles in Rocky Springs Park near his home, sometimes with one of the grandkids. I hope that they have been reunited and he is now walking him in the most beautiful park on the sunniest of days. Our family will feel this loss forever. He leaves behind 9 stepchildren; Manny, Nancy, Frank, Elvin, Alberto, Norberto, Maribel, Joe and Edwin and too many grandchildren and great-grandchildren to list individually. He leaves behind the love of his life, Clotilde. We will try to comfort each other knowing that he had many healthy years while here. I am sure he is enjoying the view from above, able to watch over his loved ones that he worried so much about. I once asked him why he wanted a daughter and not a son because he would often tell me he prayed to have a daughter. He never really gave me an answer, but I am grateful every day that I got to be his daughter and that he was my dad. Areliz (Martinez) Cruz A special gathering of friends and family will be held at The Groff Family Funeral Home, 528 W. Orange Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 on Saturday, December 21, 2019, from 11:00 A.M. until time of departure for Riverview Burial Park where the interment will take place at 2:30 P.M.