Martin Espinal

Martin "Marty" Espinal 99, died Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at the Golden Manor Group Home in Reno following a brief illness. Marty ws born in Stockton, CA to Seoncio and Martina Espinal and raised in Portola, CA. As a youngster Marty joined his brother Frank ans Sister Ann to work on his Uncle's dairy farm near Portola. At Portola High School Marty was an enthusiastic and accomplished athlete was inducted into school's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1941, he joined the military and served as a US Army Air Corp radio operator. After World War II he attended Sierra Community College in Auburn, CA and graduated with a degree in agriculture from the University of California, Davis. He won second place in the flyweight division at the National Golden Gloves Boxing Championship held in Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. He married Alma Davis of Portola, CA in 1952 at the Portola Community Methodist Church. The following year they moved to Sacramento, CA. Marty joined the UA 447 Plumbers and and Pipefitters Union and worked as a pipefitter, welder and heating and air conditioning technician. He helped construct rocket test platforms at the Aerojet General Facility near Rancho Cordova, CA and also helped build titan missile sites near Lincoln, CA. For many years Marty worked for the San Juan Unified School District maintaining and rebuilding boilers and heating plants and installed the food service refrigeration equipment at Camp Winthers -- the district's student summer camp. Upon retirement Marty moved to Reno, NV to be closer to his boyhood home and the mountains he loved. In retirement he skied, lifted weights, golfed and eventually settled into oil painting. Specializing in Sierra Nevada Landscapes, he sold a number of works and was recognized locally for the quality of his artistry. Marty was preceded in death by his wife Alma, his sister Ann, and his brother Frank. He leaves his son, Jack (Tricia Byrne) Espinal, nephew William (Vicky) Youhill, niece Jackie (Jim) Garrard, and great nephews Alex and Curtis Garrard. The Espinal family expresses special thanks to accountant and friend George Bonari for his trustworthy service and devoted friendship with Marty. Per Marty's wished there will be no funeral and his ashes will be spread high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.