Benjamin A. Martinez, who was the 2nd District state representative for 11 years until his retirement in January 1997, died of a heart attack Wednesday in MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn. He was 72. Hortense Martinez described her husband of 50 years as “just a politician from the neighborhood.” Mr. Martinez, a longtime aide to the late Ald. Vito Marzullo, grew up in Back of the Yards. He was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Illinois General Assembly in 1986. Besides his wife, Mr. Martinez is survived by a son, Jack; two daughters, Mary Ann Garner and Lorraine Holt; two sisters, Mary Carranza and Amelia Vega; and five grandchildren. Visitation will be from 2 until 9 p.m. Friday in J. Linhart & Sons Funeral Home, 6820 W. Cermak Rd., Berwyn, where funeral services will follow at 10 a.m. Saturday.
