Sara "Sally" L. Martinus 1938-2025
By Paso Robles Press · Fri Oct 03 2025
Sarah (Sally) Louise Martinus passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of September 16, 2025, at the age of 86.
She was born October 5, 1938, in Salinas to Tom and Adrienne Thwaits. The family soon included her younger sister, Susan. The Thwaits family moved to King City in 1945. Part of her early work experience was hoeing weeds with her sister in the local fields.
In 1956, she graduated from King City High School and then attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, for two years.
She married Henry Martinus of Lockwood in 1958. Sally and Henry had three sons: Jan (Annette), Tom (Mary Ann), and Eric (Tricia).
After Henry graduated from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, the family moved to Lockwood. Henry was a partner in Martinus and Martinus as well as Pacific Valley Cattle Co. Family life in the cattle business meant a lot of branding, shipping, and entertaining. Sally was also involved in the Monterey County Cowbelles.
Summers in Lockwood included taking her boys to the Shut Ins, the family’s swimming retreat along the Nacimiento River. Another place to beat the Lockwood heat was Cayucos, where the Martinus family spent many happy days at the beach.
During these years, Sally had an interest in education and began the Special Education Program at San Antonio Elementary School. She was a founding member of the San Antonio Historical Society and also helped to raise money to preserve the old historic adobes around Lockwood. In 1980, Sally returned to school. She got a BA degree at UC Santa Cruz and a Masters in Library Science at San Jose State University. After getting her degrees, she sold computer systems to small libraries in California. Later, she also obtained her realtor’s license and worked selling real estate.
It was 2000 when Sally moved to Paso Robles in order to be closer to her children and grandchildren. For 25 years, Sally enjoyed calling the area home and spending time with her family.
She is survived by her sister, Susan, and her three sons. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Travis, Luc, Sam, Jonah, and Jan Thomas, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death are her parents, Tom and Adrienne Thwaits, former spouse Henry Martinus, and two grandchildren: Henry Grigory Martinus and Jace Simon Martinus.
Gram, as her family lovingly called her, had a long and wonderful life. She leaves a family that will miss her warm embrace and endearing style.
A memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at the Paso Robles Inn, 1103 Spring St., Paso Robles, CA, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Any donations may be made to: ALivingTribute.org or the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
For additional information, please contact Eddington Funeral Services, King City, (831) 385-5400, www.EFS-Cares.com