Jose A. (Joe) and Mary M. (Marty) Arellano’s story is rooted in the soil of northern New Mexico. From the quiet Arellano family orchard in the Embudo Valley and farming communities of Mora County, the Arellano’s journey is a testament to the values of hard work, service, faith, community, and family.
In northern New Mexico, community is a way of life.
Joe, who lost his mother when he was 11 years old, understands hardship. In the Dixon orchards, he witnessed firsthand that “Families were dependent on each other.”
Marty agrees, recalling that “Families in the little communities of northern New Mexico grew and survived because they shared.”
This spirit of community stayed with them throughout their lives. Joe and Marty met at the Menaul Boarding School in Albuquerque and married in 1961.
A pivotal moment came early in their marriage when someone in need asked them for money. Even though they had little money themselves, the choice was clear; they chose to give their last $20 without question, because, as Marty says, “If anyone has a need, we should help them.”
The years that followed were busy. Joe served five years in the Air Force and then joined LANL, working his way from a technician and machinist to an assistant group leader. Marty was also busy raising three children under the age of two years old, and then joining the LANL workforce.
In 1992, Joe and Marty took on the challenge of property management, but they didn’t just see structures– they saw it as a way to care for people. They purchased an apartment building, then remodeled, cleaned, furnished, and rented the apartments to LANL students, post-docs, and foreign scientists. One apartment purchase led to another.
This February, Joe and Marty celebrated 65 years of marriage. Their family has grown with their 3 children, Karen Edwards, Lee Arellano, and Paul Arellano, to include 5 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. They find themselves with a “full, rich life,” but ultimately find themselves looking forward.
“We have been blessed. We have enough that we can share,” says Marty, “Why not share and give other people opportunities to improve their lives?”
To honor their values, Joe and Marty decided to leave a lasting impact by establishing a permanent endowment fund through the Los Alamos Community Foundation. Joe says, “Our goal is for this endowment to provide grants to help care for people.” The purpose of this fund is to inspire and uplift people working to better themselves through education and training in nursing, healthcare, the trades, and vocational work.
The name they chose for the endowment reflects their family values, the “Jose A. and Mary M. Arellano Family Endowment.”
“We are humbled by this donation and take the management of these funds very seriously,” says Liz Martineau, Los Alamos Community Foundation Executive Director. “Our community is lucky to have philanthropists like Joe and Marty. They are putting the lessons they learned in life into action to help others. Their generosity will help people for many years to come.”
As Joe and Marty establish this new form of giving, they continue to plant seeds and nourish the soil of our community, ensuring that the next generation thrives.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation:
Established in 2015, the mission of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. LACF stewards twenty-four permanent endowment funds and supports local nonprofits through training, initiatives, and grantmaking. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.