Betty Jane Martinez passed into the care of God's arms on March 12, 2016 at home in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She was 85. Betty was born December 27, 1930 near Low Moor, Iowa. Her parents were Robert Earl Hill and Velva Mae (Cousins) Hill. Betty attended a one-room schoolhouse in Low Moor and graduated from Clinton High School in 1947. She later graduated from Millikin University, Illinois with a degree in Music.

Betty met John Martinez through her brother Tom. He and John were roommates in college and remained best friends through their life. One Christmas holiday circa 1951 Tom brought John home with him and introduced his sister. "As soon as I saw her I knew she was the one for me," John has said ever since. They were married in Low Moor on June 28, 1953 and Betty began her career as a homemaker, a job made all the more important by John's employment in the management of IBM.

The old IBM acronym "I've Been Moved" certainly applied to the Martinez Family as they were required to find a new home every 3 – 4 years in cities across the Eastern US: Milwaukee, WI; Lexington, KY; Green Bay, WI; Columbus, OH; Allendale, NJ; Minneapolis, MN. Upon retirement John and Betty returned and settled in Wisconsin, first in Gillett and then in Green Bay, where they both became very active in the Masonic Lodge and the Shrine.

Betty's interests were quite varied. She had a talent for music and was very proficient at keyboards and piano. She enjoyed many crafts – quilting and crochet – and loved to garden, especially planting flowers around their farm. Betty liked travel and exploring other cultures. She was a great reader and was always part of a book club wherever they lived. She also had a keen interest in nature and enjoyed spending time at their cottage on Archibald Lake in northern Wisconsin. Other interests included archeology and astronomy. She was known for staying up late to see meteor showers and comets in the night sky.

Betty is survived by her brother Donald E. Hill of Apache Junction, Arizona, her husband of 64 years John A. R. Martinez, and their daughter Julie A. Martinez of Minneapolis. She was preceded in death by her brother Thomas G. Hill and her parents.

Memorial service will be held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 341 Wilson Ave, Green Bay, WI 54303 on Tuesday, April 19. Visitation will be at 10:00am, service at 11:00am, and a lunch at noon. Online condolences welcome at www.PfotenhauerFuneralHome.com

Funeral service is planned for Saturday, May 21st at the Low Moor Methodist Church, Low Moor, Iowa where John and Betty were married. Visitation will be at 10:00am, service at 11:00am with burial at Rose Hill Cemetery in Camanche, Iowa. A reception and lunch will follow at the Masonic Lodge, 220 Ninth Ave., Camanche, Iowa.

Memorial gifts in honor of Betty Martinez can be sent to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Office of Development, 2900 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, Florida 33607. Phone 1-800-241-4438. Online: www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org .