Severino 'Nino' Leandro Martinez

February 15, 1927 - December 23, 2014

Nino was born on the family ranch in Black Lake, New Mexico on February 15 1927. He was the 10th of 16 children born to parents Luis A. Martinez and Druscilla (Romero) Martinez. As a young man, Nino worked on the ranch until age 16 when his father signed him in to the US Navy. Nino served three years and fought through seven battles in the south pacific as a twin machine gun turret operator on the USS battleship Maryland. After his honorable discharge, Nino worked the family ranch and then at the Kimberly Copper Mine in Kimberly located in east central Nevada—now a ghost town. Nino was barely 22 years old when he married the love of his life, Janice Marie Maccagnan on May 29 1948 in Ely, Nevada. He and Jan raised three children at the Ruby Valley fish hatchery in 1958 when Nino worked for Elko County (now known as the Nevada Department of Wildlife), they relocated the family to Sparks, Nevada so Nino could work at the fish hatchery at the Washoe Ponds (located on Neil Road), and then to Verdi, Nevada where he became the Hatchery Manager of the Verdi fish hatchery from late 1970’s until his retirement in 1982. Nino and Jan “retired” to work their orchard in New Mexico to be closer to his family for several years before moving back to Elko in 1990 to be closer to her family, and then to Dayton, Nevada in 2012 to be closer to their children. He loved bowling, music (he played the accordion), planting trees and gardening, and reading. Nino was preceded in death by his parents, by brothers Severino Jr, Isaac, Ben, Luis, Lonnie, Juanito, sisters Priscilla, Dolores, Lupita, Isabel, Rosella, Eva, and son Louis Severino Martinez. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, sisters Theodora, Druscilla, brother Alonzo, daughter Shelley Ann, son Albert Paul (Denise), grandchildren Rik Martinez, Timothy Jensen, Leann Coleman, Zackary William Severino Martinez, Ethan Albert Antonio Martinez, several great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews and numerous relatives who fondly remember Nino as a quiet and sweet, loving man with a serious mischievous streak.