Memorial

Martha Martinez Coronel, 71, of Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Sunday, October 18, 2026. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the Cedar Memorial Chapel Stateroom. Services will be held at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Burial will follow the service and take place at Buffalo Cemetery. 

Martha was born February 23, 1955, in Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico to Enrique Martinez Vargas and Estela Coronel Mendez. Growing up in a household of 7 children, Martha had a great work ethic and often helped care for her younger siblings and provide for the family. She married Tito Jaime Aragon Martinez on May 28, 1978, in Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico and they had five children. Martha was a loving caretaker and hostess for many people as the family home was often filled with relatives, friends, and neighbors. Martha worked many years as a cytotechnologist at Dr. Aurelio Valdivieso Hospital in Oaxaca City, making lifelong friends along the way. Martha excelled at crocheting and knitting, often making complete outfits for her friends. After retirement, Martha was able to spend time visiting her children in Iowa. As a nana, she loved to hold, sing to, play with, and joke with her grandchildren.

Martha was an exceptional gardener and was often called upon to revive plants for friends and neighbors. She was an excellent cook, making traditional Mexican dishes that took hours of hands-on time to complete. Martha loved coffee, especially when accompanied by chisme (gossip) about the latest happenings in Zaachila. When in Iowa, she always looked forward to garage sales and black Friday – both were opportunities to find gangas (bargains), so she could fill up her suitcases and take gifts back home for her friends and for those in need. She was also famous among her friends for her pictures of nature in Iowa; especially trees in Autumn, fresh snow, and spring flowers. In winter, she loved going for car rides to look at Christmas lights to get ideas for her next posada (nativity celebration) in Mexico. Martha will be remembered for her strength and resilience, and for lending her strength to others even when she was struggling. Martha had a unique knack for saying exactly what she meant while also lightening the mood with humorous phrases that became iconic among her family.

Martha is survived by her loving husband, Tito Jaime Aragon Martinez; children, Tito Martin Aragon Martinez (Meggan Aragon Moeller), Martha (Michael) Eichenberger, and Monica (Benjamin) Peiffer; grandchildren, Enrique and Connor Aragon Moeller, Sienna and Saylor Eichenberger, and Leonardo Benjamin Peiffer; siblings, Socorro Martinez Coronel (Fernando Villanueva Vega), Maricela Martinez Coronel (Carlos Perez Martinez), Matias Martinez Coronel, Javier Martinez Coronel (Elisa Saldívar Rojas), Margarita Martinez Coronel (Rafael Perez Pacheco), and Blanca Estela Martinez Coronel; along with many nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, daughter Laura Ixchel Aragon Martinez, and son Enrique Aragon Martinez. 

Martha's family has been blessed and grateful for the support of many relatives, friends, co-workers, and health care professionals at the University of Iowa and Mercy Hospital during her journey.