Elvis Martinez, 68, of Hackettstown, NJ, passed away peacefully on August 15, 2026, in Florida after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, a disease that took far more than it ever deserved.
Born on June 12, 1958, in the Bronx, NY, Elvis was a devoted husband, father, brother, son, uncle, cousin, and friend.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Nelly; his children, Michael and Emily; his son-in-law, Thomas; his mother, Ada; his sisters, Evelyn, Eileen, Catherine, and Jeanette; his big brother, Felix; many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, and dear friends; his beloved dog, Kayla; and his grandpups, Zoey and Toaster.
He was predeceased by his father, Prudencio.
Elvis loved deeply and protected fiercely. He was a source of strength for his family, someone they knew they could always turn to. Sarcastic and quick-witted, he loved making people laugh and rarely missed an opportunity to give someone a hard time. He passed down his sense of humor, his attitude, his stubbornness, and, most importantly, his fierce loyalty to the people he loved.
Elvis did most things in life his own way, and anyone who knew him well knew there was really no point in trying to convince him otherwise. It seems only fitting that, even at the end of his life, Elvis did things on his own terms.
He leaves behind an enormous absence, but also an extraordinary amount of love. His family will miss his voice, his jokes, his sarcasm, his advice, and simply knowing that he was there.
Most of all, they will miss him.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, August 27th, 2026 from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM at Cochran Funeral Home in Hackettstown, NJ, with a memorial service from 1:30 – 2:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, please honor Elvis by telling a stupid joke, doing something kind for a stranger, having a cup of coffee with a friend, or taking a moment to watch the birds. Or, if the moment calls for it, raise both middle fingers up and say F*** CANCER.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840. For those wishing to leave online condolences for the family please visit, www.cochranfuneral.com
4 Condolences for Martinez, Elvis
Condolences(4)
Katir Silverthorn says
August 26, 2026 at 11:06 amMy deepest condolences to the entire family. Elvis was truly one of a kind. I’ll always cherish the time I spent with him and the family, his advice, his stories, and that incredible ability he had to always make me laugh. He was genuinely an amazing man, and I feel lucky to have known him. He will be missed more than words can say.
Eileen Rodriguez says
August 26, 2026 at 12:41 pmMy heart is forever broken in loosing this beautiful soul. The loss is so great that mere words cannot express the pain and emptiness that is felt.
I always said to him…You are my heart and my soul….and he was.
Elvis, I hope these words reach you in the heavens..” It was a PRIVILEDGE being your sister and I will carry you with me till my last breath!!!!!”
Michael says
August 29, 2026 at 6:38 amLike many other times, you were there for me. Whether it was something insignificant or important. You made an effort to be there, because insignificant wasn’t in your vocabulary when it came to your family. All of it was important to you. You had driven the Redline home for me back in October 2007 since I couldn’t drive a manual transmission. A discontinued model that the dealership had a hard time finding. Weeks later, they had finally found one that was out of state and shipped it here… My first brand new car. A car I had my eyes on for a few years before I even had my license. I knew I would learn how to drive it one way or another, but I still wanted you there when I bought it. Fast forward to this summer: I had been working on putting it back together after dropping the engine for the 2nd time. But of course, I wasn’t allowed to finish this project uninterrupted.
Doctors had given me news which left me no time to figure out a way to break to you and mom easily. You knew all too well that a cancer diagnosis is nothing easy to handle, let alone informing those closest to you.
That evening, you kept blaming yourself for my diagnosis. I can promise you that it’s not your fault. Shit happens, and I’m not worried about it. I can also promise you that this cancer will not make me suffer like you had suffered. It’s gonna have to try harder. Much harder. I’m going to fight it for both of us. You’d be happy to know that as it stands right now, this cancer is my little bitch and I intend to keep it that way. It may be living in me, but you can bet your ass that I’m charging 10x rent and calling the cops once a week. If it ever decides to stop being a weak little parasite and takes me down one day, it won’t be without a hell of a fight. You gave your life to take on one of the toughest of cancers out there, but now I hope you watch from the front row seats as I continue to live and teabag this little cunt over and over while I eventually I beat it into submission and evict it to some place horrible like Detroit. GG EZ. With that being said, I’m sure you’ve seen by now that I’ve been driving the Redline regularly (and very irresponsibly to the point where I should have my license taken away and put in jail for at least a night). I know that every flame that shoots out of the exhaust is you taunting me to stop driving like a grandma and to go faster.
By the way, you were looking very sharp on your big day (which was not surprising). Even though we had to say our final goodbyes to you, I’m pretty sure a few ladies snuck in to slip their phone numbers into your pocket. If you’re ever feeling a little overwhelmed and can’t handle the that many phone calls, you could send a few of them my way.
Thanks for everything. But damn, you could have at least told me your secret recipe for your family famous sausage and rice.
Emily Mattice says
August 31, 2026 at 4:47 amDaddy,
You were supposed to be the one man who would never, ever break my heart. You’ve left an enormous void behind that no one will ever be able to fill.
I find comfort in knowing that you’re no longer in pain, and that you’re finally with Papa, Steven, and the dogs. I have to believe that I’ll see you again one day on the other side.
I hope I’ve made you proud.
I’ll love you forever and ever.
I miss you. Your jokes. Your sarcasm. Your laugh. Just being you. I miss all of it. I miss you more than I could ever put into words.
I love you, Daddy.
Always your little girl,
Emily
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