Catherine Ann Martin (Cathy)

Catherine (Cathy) Ann Martin was born on April 8, 1939 in Los Angeles, the youngest of five children of Frank and Ruth Pelch. Her family moved from Montebello to Redlands and settled in San Bernardino, CA where Cathy attended Holy Rosary Academy and St. Bernardine’s High School. She played sports, was a cheerleader, and held different leadership positions. On January 14, 1961 Cathy and Ernie Martin married and the family always joked that they had a fun and successful honeymoon as she returned to her new home with morning sickness, and their first child, Ernie Martin Jr. was born nine months and six days after the wedding. Four more children followed: Debbie, Kevin, Donald, and Cindy. In 1974 the family moved from Fontana to San Luis Obispo where they bought a house downtown that has been the center of their family’s lives for 52 years. Along with her husband Ernie, Cathy wanted their home to be open to everyone, family and friends alike, and many knew they didn’t need to knock, they could just come in and make themselves at home. Their children’s friends knew they were always welcome for meals, to spend the night, to play games, and just to hang out. Anyone who didn’t have a place to celebrate holidays was always included in the festivities. Barbecues and taco nights were occasions for people to gather – always casual and always filled with laughter and love, with kids running through the house and around the yard. Cathy loved the sound of her grandchildren and great nephews and nieces playing hide and seek and tag and games that filled her home with life. In recent years her great grandchildren have filled her heart with much joy. An intrinsic element of Cathy’s character was her Catholic faith. She was a parishioner of Mission San Luis Obispo and Our Lady of Nativity Churches and served for many years as a Eucharistic Minister and Communion Minister to the Sick, bringing Communion to those who could no longer attend Mass. After graduating from St. Bernardine's High School, Cathy enjoyed working for Pacific Bell before leaving the workforce to raise her family. Once all five children were in school, she returned to work at J.C. Penney in downtown San Luis Obispo and later Santa Maria, where she made many lifelong friends. Always a sports fan, she loved going to her children’s, grandchildren’s, and great grandson’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, rugby, t-ball, baseball and softball games. No matter the sport, she was there to cheer us on. She enjoyed college and professional sports and was a life-long, die- hard Dodger fan. After a long struggle with dementia, Cathy passed away peacefully on July 15, 2026. She is survived by her children: Ernie Jr. (Tammy), Debbie (Joe), Kevin (Patricia), Donald, and Cindy; her grandchildren: Elizabeth (Jake), Avery, Alex, Andrew, and Sam (Juan); her great grandchildren: Remy, Scout, and Beck; and numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews. She was predeceased by her husband of 55 years Ernie, her parents, Frank and Ruth Pelch, her siblings Jack, Jim, Hubert, and Pat and many other much loved family members. A rosary will be held at Reis Family Mortuary on Wednesday, July 29 at 7:00 p.m. and a Mass will be held the following morning, on Thursday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m with a reception following in the Nativity Church hall. If you attend, consider wearing pink, her favorite color.

Catherine Ann Martin (Cathy)

April 8, 1939 - July 15, 2026