Beloved mother, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, and friend passed away unexpectedly March 6, 2022 at age 47. She will be desperately missed and remain in all our hearts.
Born November 13, 1974 in Tacoma, Washington, the second child of Teri and David Gourley and the sister of Nathan Gourley. She attended high school at Olathe North. When she was young, she played softball and gymnastics. In her twenties, she played volleyball on Sundays with friends. As a young adult, she attended Kansas State University and graduated with her bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC).
She worked for J.P. Morgan/Chase for many years, which later became Empower Retirement. She was a valuable employee and was well-liked by her work family. She was always willing to help out, which included being the family tax preparer.
In her free time, she liked to visit local outdoor events and enjoy meals with close friends and family. She loved to listen to music and attend concerts. She had a green thumb and grew all kinds of plants, both indoors and outdoors. She liked James Dean, Alice in Wonderland, strawberries, flowers, animals, traveling, beaches, and mountains. She enjoyed laughing, joking, cooking, hiking, and spending time with family. She also enjoyed a nice drink and get-togethers with her close friends. She loved her people.
Martina was a beautiful, free spirit. She was fun, smart, humorous, adventurous, an explorer, independent, and determined. She was well-loved by many. She was caring, and she respected others' differences. She was very reserved unless you got to know her and once you did, she had a whole world of dreams to show you. She lived in her head, which was often a place of struggle, but she did the best she could to make light of literally everything.
Martina's life centered around her daughter, Natalie. Martina and Natalie enjoyed watching their favorite T.V. shows, playing hooky, and talking about anything and everything. She was a mom to all of the kids in the neighborhood. Everyone was accepted, and a lot of time was spent at her home on 72nd and Lamar, with many late-night talks, heart-to-hearts, and kids stopping by for advice or support. Her door was always open.
Martina was preceded in death by her stepfather, John Hallberg.
She is survived by her daughter, Natalie; father and mother, David and Teri; brother, Nathan and sister-in-law, Anna.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to www.kidsaresacred.org/donate or http://www.mocsa.org/donate/donate-online. Please select "tribute" and send a notification to the family (c/o Teri Hallberg Gourley, 812 N. Overlook Dr., Olathe, KS 66061, ttb5419@gmail.com).
A celebration of Martina's life will be held this Spring. Details will be announced at a later date.
To leave a message of condolence for Martina's family, or to share a special memory of Martina, visit the guestbook below.