Sam Martinez (on the right) with Sir Godfrey Palmer
Sad news that long term Wester Hailes resident and oldest Hibernian FC supporter Sam Martinez passed away on Wednesday afternoon at the age of 106.
Mr Martinez travelled to the United Kingdom in the 1940s from his native Belize, then British Honduras, to aid in the war effort working as a lumberjack. After the war he decided to remain in Edinburgh and later settled down in Wester Hailes.
Mr Martinez has been involved with several community organisations over the years including the Dove Centre and sitting on Prospect Community Housing’s management committee for 17 years, only coming off when he turned 100.
Sam had been a longtime supporter of Hibs and in May was able to get his wish and see his team win the Scottish Cup. Hibs manager Neil Lennon has announced that the players will wear black armbands during their match against Greenock Morton tomorrow as a show of respect.
Brendan Fowler, Director of Prospect said
Sam has made a great contribution to Prospect’s work over the years. He always brought a calm, positive attitude to meetings he attended. He would often conclude discussions by looking at the big picture and commenting on how Prospect had helped him and how appreciative he was. This was typical of Sam who had a positive attitude to life, and always showed his gratitude to people around him. He will be greatly missed by family, friends and the Wester Hailes Community.
Sam was a well known face around the community and will be dearly missed. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this time.
A funeral service will be held at Warriston Crematorium, Lorimer Chapel, at 1.00pm, on Monday, September 5, to which all are welcome. Family flowers only, but donations, if desired, may be given after the service in aid of the fight against ovarian cancer and CCLASP.
