Martin de Jesus Flores was born at Yale New Haven Hospital on February 16, 1998 and was raised in Wilton, Sacramento County, California.

Martin has always been an A student, a saber fencer and enjoyed karate growing up. He also served and volunteered at church. In high school, he and his best friend started a car detailing service and enjoyed working on cars. He graduated cum laude with a major in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of California.

He returned to Connecticut to pursue a Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of New Haven. The VP of the consulting firm where he worked has this to say, “universally across the company, our memories of him are about a kind, generous, and gentle person, smart and eager to help however he could.”

Martin found a community at the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-op that he fell in love with while volunteering and spending time biking.

He believed in hard work, perseverance, and genuine kindness. He loved nature, music, cycling, cars, and a great cup of coffee. He didn’t buy a lot of things, but when he did it was as high quality as him like his titanium chopsticks.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents Juanita Vallesteros and Felipe de Jesus, and Clemencita Alarkon and Juan Flores. 

He is survived by his parents, Martin Jonathan and Divina Gracia, his sisters, Joanna and Katharine Grace, and his beloved brother Peter.

He is and will always be remembered as a beautiful, fun and loving person who brought joy to everyone around him.

He passed away doing what he loved: biking with friends and watching the sunset. 

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From Joanna:

Thank you all for being with us.

I’m Martin’s older sister, which means that he’s my baby brother.

But as I’ve spent the last week here in New Haven, I’ve gotten to learn that he was a bit of little brother to everyone. Not that he was immature - if anything, people twice his age have said even they have looked up to him. He was everyone’s little brother in the endearment that we all shared for him.

Please remember him as you walk across campus, and his smile. Remember him when you graduate, as chargers. Remember him at your new jobs in the summer. Remember him on your bike rides, at coffee shops. Remember him in every dog you pet, and please tell them they’re all good dogs. He would want that.

From Martin’s favorite movie character and who he nicknamed himself after: Lightning McQueen from Cars. He knew this monologue by heart.

Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. No, no, no, stay focused. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning.

Kachow, Martin. We love you. 

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