Former governor's first fan dies at 86
Ida Carreno Martinez, mother of Bob Martinez, was a deft seamstress and proud Spaniard.
By GRACE AGOSTIN
Published July 9, 2004
TAMPA - Much of former Florida Gov. Bob Martinez's childhood was spent playing Little League baseball at MacFarland Park. For his mother, Ida Carreno Martinez, that meant many late afternoons watching from the stands.
Mrs. Martinez did the same for her grandson and great-grandson. "That was really something special for my dad and mom to see three generations play (Little League)," Martinez said.
Mrs. Martinez, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in the early 1990s, died Saturday. She was 86.
Martinez said his mother provided dedication and support.
"She was completely devoted to my upbringing . . . always wanted to make certain I was properly dressed, did well in school and was a proper kid," Martinez said.
Mrs. Martinez made sure her son was well dressed as an infant by sewing his clothes. She was a professional seamstress and supervisor for Speedline Athletic Wear in Tampa and also sewed clothes for several family members.
"At a very young age she started to sew and make my clothes," said Mrs. Martinez's sister, Lydia Carreno Quesada. Mrs. Martinez made Lydia's wedding gown, baseball uniforms for her son and formal dresses for Bob's wife, Mary Jane Martinez.
During his campaigns for mayor and governor, Martinez said his mother followed political developments closely. Martinez served as Tampa mayor from 1979 to 1986 and governor from 1987 to 1991.
"Campaigns can get very heated, and she was wondering how I would take the flow of a campaign," Martinez said. "Once she saw I could cope with the ups and downs of a campaign it made her more comfortable with me being in the public light.."
A lifelong West Tampa resident, Mrs. Martinez took pride in her Spanish heritage and was an active member of Centro Espanol. Her parents, both of Asturias, a Northern province in Spain, traveled to Tampa in the late 1800s.
In 2001, after Mrs. Martinez was admitted into a rehabilitation center, her husband, Serafin Martinez, would visit every day. When Serafin could no longer drive, he had a cab service take him to the center at 9 a.m., and return for him at 5 p.m.
"That's the way he wanted it," Bob Martinez said.
Serafin, 90, has been hospitalized because of heart complications. He had not been told yet about the loss of his wife of 70 years. Martinez said Thursday he would consult with Serafin's heart specialist before telling his father.
Survivors include her husband, Serafin; her son, Bob; two grandchildren; four great-grandchildren and a sister, Lydia Carreno Quesada. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Boza & Roel Funeral Home, 4730 N Armenia Ave. A service will follow.