Martin (Marty) Lee Samudio, age 59, passed away on 7/19/2021 after a short, but valiant battle with pancreatic cancer in San Antonio, Texas.
Born September 16th, 1961, Marty never backed down from a challenge. Marty knew from a young age that he wanted to practice the culinary arts. He absorbed all he could from his mother Esther, the family matriarch. He started his first cooking job at a local burger joint, GW Jr’s. At age 15, he earned the prestigious Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America in 1976. He went on to graduate from Holy Cross Catholic High School in San Antonio, class of 1979. After graduation, he attended St. Philip’s College, where he studied Culinary Arts. It wasn’t long before he took on many roles in many kitchens including pastry chef, the sous chef at Houlihan’s, and eventually leading to Master chef. His journey to Master Chef was not easy and to help broaden his culinary horizons, he traveled around the country learning the cuisine of different regions of the United States, as well as New Zealand, Australia, and Mexico. Marty knew that being a chef alone was not enough, he wanted to touch the lives of many by educating others in the field of culinary arts. To achieve this, he moved to New Mexico and attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. There he studied culinary education and earned his bachelors of science degree in the class of 1998. While residing in New Mexico and perfecting his craft, he was the recipient of many awards, culminating in Albuquerque’s Chef of the Year. Not one to rest on his laurels, his expansion in the culinary world led him to California, where he led the research and development department of Ruiz Foods. It was here that he met the love of his life, San Juanita Perez. They were married on May 29th, 2004. Marty knew he always wanted a family, and in 2010 they were blessed with a daughter, Hope Shalom. It wasn’t long before Marty and his girls found their way home to San Antonio, where Marty continued his education career at the Art Institute of San Antonio, imparting his wisdom and experience to the generations after him.
Strong in his faith, he was an active member of Destiny Church in San Antonio. An avid hunter and fisherman, you could often find him in the deer blind, or at the Texas coast. Without fail he would share the spoils of his trips, often providing fresh cured meats to everyone. He continued to support his Holy Cross community by participating in the annual alumni baseball game and cookoff. He was an active member in Hope’s school, being honored as a “Watch Dog” where his portrait will continue to watch over the safety of the students. Marty was a stranger to none. He touched the lives of many and made life-long friends. Marty will be dearly missed, but always viewed life as a celebration, and his legacy will live on in his family and friends.
Marty is survived by his wife, San Juanita Samudio, his daughter Hope Shalom Samudio and his beloved dog Rosie. As well as his mother Esther Arriaga Samudio, his Mother-in-Law Blanca Perez, his siblings Mary Jane and husband Frank Wiesehan, Joseph J Samudio, Roxanne Samudio-Garcia and husband Ronald Garcia, as well as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his father, Joe Samudio, Jr.
Many thanks are given to those who loved Marty as much as we did. We would like to thank his cooking buddies, church family, hunting and fishing friends, fellow alumni, extended family, coworkers and everyone else who’s lives were touched by Marty.
Asta la Pasta Marty, your love of cooking and feeding others will be celebrated in Heaven and on Earth!
In lieu of flowers, any donations made to assist the family can be directed to the following link: https://gofund.me/fcb3e972 a GoFundMe page set up in his memory by James Zamarron and the Holy Cross Knights class of ’79.
The family will hold a visitation on Saturday July 31st, 2021 from 2pm – 6:30pm with a prayer service at 6:30pm. Location is Porter Loring Mortuaries, 1101 McCullough Ave, San Antonio TX, 78212.
A celebration of his life will take place in September. For additional information, please reach out to the family.
https://www.porterloring.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=21813755