Mrs. Maria De Lourdes Collado-Martinez

WATERBURY - It is with profound sadness and broken hearts that the family of María De Lourdes Collado-Martínez, age 76, beloved wife, mother, and abuela, share the news that she passed away peacefully on July 16, 2025, in the comfort of her home in Waterbury, Connecticut.

María was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on January 19, 1949, the daughter of the late José B. Martínez-Flores and Berta M. Martínez-Castro. She graduated from the Academia Santa Mónica in 1965, where she made lifelong friends, and then earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, in 1969. She also undertook graduate studies in statistics at the Central Connecticut State University.

She met her husband, Ramón A. Collado-Caldera, in 1976 when she joined the U.S. Army Reserve, where she served until 1991. Her life as a military wife took María and her family across the East Coast, living in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Connecticut. Over the years, she worked as a credit manager at Merck Sharp & Dohme pharmaceuticals, Kimberly-Clark, and Colgate (she was one of the few female credit managers in Puerto Rico). She was also an accomplished Mary Kay beauty consultant and director, worked as a family liaison at Fitchburg Public Schools in Massachusetts, as a Math teacher at Antilles High School in Puerto Rico, and as a Spanish teacher at Crosby High School and Wilby High School in Waterbury.

María was a humble and caring woman whose life was defined by her faith in the Lord. She shared Christ's truth and love with almost everyone she met, both young and old, from all walks of life. She touched the lives of many with her genuine kindness, encouragement, and words of advice. She didn't shy away from sharing her faith -- for instance, she led a "WWJD" (What Would Jesus Do?) after-school Bible study for students at Wilby. In recent years, she taught young adults at her church. María was a longtime member of Iglesia de Dios Nuevo Renacer in Waterbury, as well as Primera Iglesia Bautista de Levittown in Puerto Rico, where she often returned.

María cherished spending time with her grandchildren, getting up early every morning to pray and study the Bible, reading, gardening, sewing, crocheting, and going for walks. Despite retiring from teaching, she continued to impart her wisdom with others by posting inspirational video messages on her private Facebook page, "Mrs. Collado's Words of Encouragement."

Her unshakable faith sustained her through this past year of illness, including a battle with cancer. She remained courageous, steadfast, and confident in the Lord's goodness, a spiritual warrior to the very end.

María is survived by: her husband of 45 years, Ramón; her children, Ramón Collado-Martínez and his wife Roxanna of Texas, Carla (Collado-Martínez) Bales and her husband Will of Indiana, and Nadia (Collado-Martínez) Marroquín and her husband Elías of Connecticut; her grandchildren, Elisa, Daniel, Evan, Elena, Liliana, Olivia, Cristian, and Andrew; and her siblings, Delia Martínez, José Miguel Martínez, and Berta Martínez.

Relatives and friends are invited to pay their respects and visit with the Collado-Martínez family at a viewing on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m, at Casey’s Eastside Memorial Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 1987 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06705. Funeral services will take place at the funeral home on Thursday, July 24, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m, followed by a procession to the Middletown State Veterans Cemetery, 317 Bow Lane, Middletown, CT 06457, for burial with full military honors.

Loving kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence, words of comfort, or share a memory with the family and friends of someone important to you on the funeral home website at www.caseyfunerals.com. To send floral tributes or other gifts of condolences please visit the funeral home's Sympathy Store.