Jorge Julian Martinez

On Saturday, March 27th, 2021, Jorge Julián Martínez passed away at the age of 81. He fought a courageous battle with COVID which he beat a month ago but left him mortally wounded with damaged lungs which ultimately ended his life.

He was the father of 6 children: Wilson and Mauricio which he had had with Esperanza Gomez during his first relationship in El Salvador. He had 4 more children, Jorge, Dorys (QED), Ricardo and David, with his wife of 53 years Noemy. He is also survived by his brothers Felix living in El Salvador and Hector who now lives in Costa Rica.

Julián was born in Zacatecoluca, El Salvador on March 18, 1940. His mother was Josefa Martinez and his father was Isidoro Serrano. Despite a very difficult childhood, Julián overcame very dire childhood circumstances -he wore shoes for the first time when he was over 10 years old- and became a contributing member of society in different roles. He was known for his strong work ethic at every job he had. He was born a natural left-handie, but -due to ignorance back on those days- his teachers took it as a handicap and tied his left hand, so he would have to learn to write with his right hand, which he did and became ambidextrous.

Julián overcame many adversities in life, brought the rest of his kids to the US, and lived over 30 years in Southern California. Ultimately he would retire in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with his wife, where he would spend the last 3 years of his life. He worked most of his life in retail in hardware stores, wholesale grocery distribution, car dealers, and many other fields. During a tough period in the economy in El Salvador, Julián and his brother Hector started a business selling bleach to mom-and-pop stores in his car. He would not give up on making an honest living. His "can do" attitude and his search for a better life for his children led him to take the brave step to immigrate, the 'hard way', to the United States in 1981 looking to provide a better life for his family as well to escape the civil war in El Salvador. He settled in the Los Angeles region and quickly brought his wife to live and work with him for the following 3 decades before retiring in Harrisburg.

Julián was always the life of the party. He had a great sense of humor, loved to dance to salsa, cumbia, merengue and loved home cooked Salvadoran meals anytime. He loved traveling and visited Costa Rica, El Salvador, Canada and, late in his life, his childhood friends in Australia brought him to spend a month 'down under'. He was known for his quick wit, great sense of humor and infectious smile and laughter. One of his favorite past times was soccer which he played in amateur leagues when he was younger in his native El Salvador. Once retired he would not miss the soccer matches on TV every week.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday April 3, 2021 at 11:00 am at W. Orville Kimmel Funeral Home, Inc., 2001 Market Street, Harrisburg, where there will be a viewing at 10:00 am.  His mortal remains will be laid to rest in William Howard Day Cemetery in Steelton, PA, right after the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers or donations please reach out to support donate to our children stuck at the border under circumstances beyond their control.

He will be missed.