Martin Schmitz

Martin Schmitz passed into eternal light on Wednesday, February 8th, 2023 at the age of 82. He was a protector, a wit, and a sage; lover of woods, birds, rivers, and streams; craftsman, teacher, music and literary enthusiast, man of faith, ally, and, most notably, chivalrous husband, devoted father, and paragon of grandfathers.

Martin is survived by his daughter, Jeniffer Strong; son-in-law, Skye Strong; grandsons, Daniel Strong (fiancé, Crusita) and Caleb Strong (wife, Mikayla), and his sisters, Linda Carr and Donna Rockweiler. He was preceded in death by his dear wife of 56 years, Sharon, and sister, Mary Lou.

He was born on Thursday, January 23, 1941 to Kathryn and Martin Schmitz Sr. in Oak Park, Illinois. In his childhood, the family lived on a farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and later moved back to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended Layton High School. At that time, he labored as a steel worker with his father on some of the tallest skyscrapers in the windy city. After high school, he graduated from Emmaus Bible College in 1962, travelled to work in Turkey with Operation Mobilization, and taught American Idiom, Culture, and History in Kabul, Afghanistan for the USIS. While abroad, he and Sharon communicated via letters and, upon his return to the US, married on Friday, September 3, 1965.

After he earned his B.S. in Social Sciences at Greenville College in 1967 and M.A. in history at Southern Illinois University in 1968, they moved to New Mexico. He was a PhD Candidate at UNM with teaching specialties in Early and Modern American History, Colonial and Modern Latin American History, Medieval History, and Latin American Government. His research beyond the holdings at UNM took them to the National Archives in Washington DC and Maryland, UT at El Paso, UC Berkley, Mexico City and Chihuahua, Mexico.

Around the time his daughter, Jeniffer, was born in 1974, he started teaching at West Mesa High School and moved over to Cibola High School when it opened in 1975 to teach World History and Sociology. He was a popular teacher, notorious for his sense of humor and encouragement of free-thinking, using a comparative model for understanding the great revolutions and major world religions. For much of his tenure, he was the department chair for the history department and enjoyed announcing for Cibola sports, cheering vigorously for his students, who affectionately called him “Uncle Marty.”

He loved to read, especially James Michener, Tom Clancy, Tony Hillerman, and volumes on the topic of the Civil War. He introduced his daughter to Shakespeare and poetry at a young age, took her camping and fly fishing, immersed her in ballet and classical music, and instilled a deep respect for all peoples and cultures, especially Mexican, Native American, and Middle Eastern. Of all his interests, music was deepest under his skin, especially folk music from the late 60’s and early 70’s like Simon and Garfunkel; Peter, Paul, and Mary; the Kingston Trio and the Limelighters. He also loved The Beatles, The Doors, blues, jazz, and classical guitar. He often strummed for fun and later channeled this passion into his grandsons’ musical aspirations, buying them instruments, paying for lessons, and attending nearly every concert. Both are creative musicians today, crediting their grandfather for their opportunities.

Above all, he loved his wife. In a letter to Sharon on Tuesday, December 1, 1964 from Kabul, Afghanistan, he wrote, “Despite the idiotic world about us, there is peace, there is joy, there is comfort and security in each other’s arms. No longer am I concerned with solving the ills of this decadent world, all that isn’t worth one of your smiles.”

Martin’s family is planning a celebration of his life in conjunction with Sharon’s, and ashes are being scattered at their favorite mountain retreat in the aspen glades and canyon of the Brazos River.