Xochitl Martinez

Xochitl Martinez, better known as “Coca,” passed in El Paso, Texas on November 27, 2013 at the age of 82. Coca was born on August 14, 1931 in Paris, France. At the age of two she contracted polio causing her to have difficulty using her left arm for the rest of her life. In 1936, her parents moved to Galveston and then to Fort Worth. She moved to San Antonio in 1950 to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree at Trinity University and later her Master of Arts degree. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in the San Antonio Independent School District, teaching at several schools, and later becoming a school counselor. She married Henry Martinez, whom she later divorced after many years of marriage. Coca moved to El Paso in 1990 to be close to her sister, Esperanza Prieto. While she lived in El Paso she was a volunteer at the Sierra Hospital for several years. She is survived by her sister, Esperanza Cano Prieto and her five sons, Phil Prieto, Ron Prieto, Leigh Prieto, Lester Prieto and Edward Prieto; and her nieces, Linda Ximenes, Angela Schueler, Roseann Wehrmann, and Theresa Poenisch; and many great nieces and nephews. Services were held privately by family. Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Home West. www.sunsetfuneralhomes.net