Sue Sherman-Martinez, beloved wife, mother, and friend, passed away peacefully on the morning of November 20, 2024 in Santa Cruz, California. Sue’s greatest passion in life was teaching and her students. She taught for more than 20 years as an elementary school teacher and substitute teacher, inspiring hundreds of kids at the Eli Whitney, Reilly, and Edison Park schools in Chicago. Sue’s favorite subject was science. She reveled in making the subject come alive for her students through vibrant stories, hands-on experiments, and field trips to local museums.
At Northeastern Illinois University, where she earned her first bachelor’s degree, Sue was the stage manager and head of sound and lighting for the theater group, Stage Players, an experience she loved and took great pride in, and where she met many of her oldest, dearest friends, including her husband, Tom. Throughout her life, the shows she helped produce would be the source of some of her fondest memories.
When not working on new lesson plans for her students, Sue was an avid gardener, birdwatcher, nature lover, and prolific reader, particularly of mystery books. For several years, she raised monarch butterflies, caring for the eggs laid on milkweed plants she grew in her backyard garden, nursing the caterpillars through their chrysalis stage, and releasing the adults every summer. Nature preserves and libraries were sacred places for Sue.
Sue was the daughter of the late Marian and Irving Z. Sherman, and is survived by her husband of 48 years, Tom Martinez, her daughter, Amanda R. Martinez (Rob), and her many friends.
Visitation: Sunday, December 8, 2024, 4pm to 8pm
Rago Brothers Funeral Home
7751 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago IL 60634
Closing of casket and prayer: Monday, December 9, 2024 at 11am
Rago Brothers Funeral Home
7751 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago IL 60634
Funeral Service and Interment to immediately follow closing of casket
Acacia Park Cemetery
7800 Irving Park Rd., Norridge, IL 60706
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Sue’s name to the Morton Arboretum- https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/7982b755-43c4-4ac3-ac68-39645ff75c15
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