Martha L. Echevarria passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, after a courageous four-year battle with pancreatic cancer, on Oct. 25, 2025.
Martha was born and grew up in Lima, Peru. She graduated from St. Jose de Cluny High School and obtained her bachelor’s degree from Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón, where she graduated as salutatorian with a degree in psychology. She briefly considered becoming a nun, spending the year between high school and college volunteering with a Catholic missionary group living in the Amazon jungles of Peru.
When she got married in 1982, she immigrated to the United States, and obtained her master’s degree from Fordham University School of Social Work, attending school on weekends while she raised her two small children in Jackson Heights, Queens. She moved with her family to Greenwood Lake in July 1989 and resided in the same house until the time of her death.
As a licensed clinical social worker, she spent 29 years working for NYS Office of Mental Health, Rockland Psychiatric Center Middletown Division, located in Middletown, N.Y. For over 25 years, she also worked nights and weekends in private practice providing psychotherapy to hundreds of patients. The last 20 years of her practice were worked out of the Center for Stress Reduction in Goshen, N.Y. She continued working in private practice up until the time of her death, as she said it distracted her from her illness and made her feel helpful. She always said she wanted to be remembered for dedicating her life’s work to helping people, and for being a dedicated mother and wife.
When Martha retired from her state job, she enjoyed attending aquacise classes at the YMCA, playing pickleball at Match Point, and participating in a book club at the GWL Public Library. Most of all, she enjoyed traveling with her grandson.
Martha is survived by her loving husband of 43 years, David Echevarria (Greenwood Lake); her two children, Jennifer (Warwick) and Geoffrey Echevarria (Greenwood Lake); her grandson, Denis McAteer (Warwick); her brother Elard Van Oordt and his family (Monroe); and four other siblings (Van Oordt) living in Peru and Venezuela with their families.
Her family is forever grateful to the doctors at NY Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan for giving them four more loving years with her, and to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties for enabling her to pass away at her home, according to her wishes.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Ave., Warwick. A Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 3 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 1911 Union Valley Road, Hewitt, N.J. 07421, followed by inurnment in Warwick Cemetery, 50 Oakland Ave., Warwick, N.Y.
Arrangements were entrusted to Lazear-Smith & Vander Plat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Ave., Warwick, N.Y. To send an online condolence, visit www.lsvpmemorialhome.com