Melva L Martinez

Melva Lea Martinez went home to be with the Lord on July 24, 2022, at the age of 89. She met and married Lee Martinez in Bible School and together they raised 3 wonderful children.

Melva worked as a substitute teacher in Polk County for 19 years. She actively served the Lord everywhere they went, but her main passion was the Gideon Bible Ministry. Over the years, she personally gave out several thousand New Testaments at the Polk County Jail, local nursing homes and other places. Melva enjoyed teaching, but her focus was sharing the Word of God. Poor health kept Melva home-bound toward the end, but she never lost the joy of the Lord in her heart.

Melva is survived by her beloved husband, Lee. They were married for 68 blessed years. Melva is also survived by her 3 children: daughters Renee Martinez and Betty Martinez (husband Steven Danderson), and son John Martinez (wife Johnna Martinez). Melva is also survived by her grandson Michael Martinez (fiancée Tracy Kotowski), granddaughter Kristen Costa (husband Terrell Costa), and Melva’s great grandson Jayce Lee Costa.

Visitation will be at the Lakeland Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens at 9:30 a.m. on July 27, 2022, followed by the service and internment.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any memorials be made to the Gideon’s International in her memory. The address is:

The Gideons International Processing Center
P.O. Box 97251
Washington, DC 20090-7251

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