Lucas Jesus Martinez, M.D.
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Lucas Jesus Martinez, M.D., passed away on May 21, 2021 at the age of 77, in Rocky Mount, NC.
Lucas was born on January 9, 1944 in the province of Leon, Spain. He was the son of Josefa Veiga Arroyo and Ubaldo Martinez Perez, M.D. He had an idyllic childhood in rural Spain. His father was a family physician who traveled by horseback to treat patients throughout the region. He followed in the footsteps of his father in the pursuit of medicine.
Lucas attended the largest boarding school run by Jesuit priests in Spain. He received a degree in Philosophy from the Universidad de Comillas, Spain and then studied medicine at the University of Madrid. After finishing medical school, he practiced general medicine for two years in rural Spain. He met his wife of 52 years, Lois McLean, in Spain, where she completed a junior year study abroad program at the University of Madrid. They married on April 26, 1969 in Leon, Spain.
At Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut, Lucas completed a Rotating Internship. He did a first-year surgical residency at Albert Einstein Northern Division Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He completed his Neurosurgical Residency at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia. After completing residency, he was an attending physician and rose in the ranks to Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
In 1980, Lucas and his family moved to Rocky Mount, NC where he became the first Neurosurgeon in Nash, Edgecombe, and Halifax Counties. He practiced medicine at Nash General Hospital for 38 years. He also saw patients at Halifax Medical Specialists in Roanoke Rapids, NC. During his nearly four decades of practicing in Rocky Mount, he served as an ambassador for the community in encouraging other elite neurosurgeons to relocate here as well. He also served as Chief of the Medical Staff for Nash General Hospital during his tenure in Rocky Mount. He ended his career in the distinguished position of clinical professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He was a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the Nash County Medical Society.
He was predeceased by his parents and his brother Jose Luis Martinez, M.D. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lois, children Ana Martinez, M.D. of Kansas City, KS, Julian Martinez and wife, Renee, of Rocky Mount, NC, Adrian Martinez, and wife, Pam, of Santa Monica, CA; his grandchildren Lucas (19), Joshua (16), Noah (13), and Caroline (5). He is also survived by his brother, Ubaldo Martinez Veiga, Ph.D., his wife Ingrid Martinez Outschoorn, Ph.D., of Madrid, Spain, and their children Ubaldo Martinez, M.D., of Philadelphia, PA, and Verena Martinez Outschoorn, Ph.D., of Amherst, MA, Diego Martinez Pellegrini, Sara Martinez Pellegrini, Ph.D., their spouses, and children.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 331 Hammond Street, Rocky Mount, NC 27804 with Father Tim Meares celebrating. Burial will follow the Mass at Rocky Mount Memorial Park. The family will receive friends and relatives on Monday, May 24, 2021 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home. Masks encouraged.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Lucas' memory to the Boy Scout Troop 5 of First United Methodist Church in Rocky Mount. Memorials may be provided via Venmo @troop5 or checks made out to Boy Scout Troop 5 and sent to First United Methodist Church, 100 South N. Church St., Rocky Mount, NC 27804.
Arrangements entrusted to Wheeler & Woodlief Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1130 N. Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount, NC 27804. You may share memories and condolences with the family by visiting www.wheelerwoodlief.com.