John Bligh
- Retired paraprofessional
Vidalina Martinez was a UFT member for 20 years, and most recently worked at the Bronx Aerospace Academy HS, where she was a bilingual special education paraprofessional since 2011. “She was very dedicated to the students,” said Chapter Leader Georgina Appiah.
Prior to the Bronx Aerospace Academy HS, Martinez was a paraprofessional for seven years at Grace Dodge Career and Technical Education HS in the Bronx, which closed in 2015.
Vidalina, who retired in 2019, died June 6 after a fall. She was 74 and lived in the Bronx.
Born in Guanica, Puerto Rico, Vidalina was “very proud of the work that she did and how she was able to help the Latino community,” said her niece, Maria Velazquez-Llanes.
“Vidalina helped bridge the language barrier gap for the students she worked with and their teachers,” said Velazquez-Llanes, a kindergarten teacher at PS 169 in Brooklyn. “She supported the students by translating the lessons one-on-one so they could be successful in class.” Vidalina also supported her teacher colleagues by direct instruction with students who needed extra time to try out different learning strategies, Velazquez-Llanes said.
She stayed up to date about what was important in the union, speaking with her brother-in-law, a UFT chapter leader, and her niece, a teacher, about union issues. “She was always proud to be a UFT member,” Velazquez-Llanes said.
Vidalina is survived by her daughter, Ursula Villanueva; her siblings, Jose Velazquez, Lilliam Pabon, Raul Martinez, Nadia Martinez, and Miguel Martinez; her sisters-in-law, Dolores Sanchez, Maria Velazquez and Barbara Martinez; her brother-in-law Luis Pabon; her nephews, Tony and Joey Velazquez, Ruben Martinez, Julio Martinez Jr., Luis Pabon and Miguel and Raul Martinez; and her nieces Maria Velazquez-Llanes (and husband Alfredo Llanes), Kamir Pabon, Lillian Mariel and Barbara Martinez.
Condolences can be sent to the family c/o the Maliszewski Memorial Home, 121 Main Street, Sayreville, NJ 08872.
