BOMBER MEMORIAL

MARTHA ANNE "MARTY" GUSTAVSON ~ Class of 1965
October 10, 1946 - January 28, 2021







~



Martha Anne "Marty" Gustavson was born to Donald Roy and Mary Euphemia Purton Gustavson on October 10, 1946, in Boise, ID. She passed away at the age of 74 from pancreatic cancer in Spokane on January 28, 2021.

She attended Jefferson Elementary School, Chief Jo Junior High School and graduated with the Class of 1965 from Richland's Columbia High School. She attended Spokane Falls Community College and Washington State University studying graphic design. Martha attended Central United Protestant Church while growing up in Richland.

She was the second of six siblings: Fred ('61), Martha ('65), Julie ('66), Don "Julian" ('68), Bob ('70) and Mary ('72). Her mother, Mary Gustavson, was a third-grade teacher; and her father, Don Gustavson, survived WWII (Navy) and worked as a nuclear engineer at Hanford.

Martha had an enjoyable childhood. She loved to swim, roller-skate, snow ski and ride horses. In grade school, Martha was often seen riding her bike with her pet pigeon on her shoulder. She cherished the walk to school every day with her childhood friend, Janet. They also earned their scout badges together.

She loved animals. While growing up her neighbors often brought wounded birds to Martha to be nursed back to health. As a teenager, she worked at Dr. Moore's Animal Hospital with hopes of one day becoming a veterinarian, her starting pay was 77 cents per hour! Her love of swimming and diving led to working as a lifeguard for three summers after receiving her WSI certification at WSU. Martha had a fascination for other cultures and desired to travel as an exchange student. As a young adult this desire led her to travel throughout Asia and the Orient for over six years where she lived, worked, built lifelong friendships and expanded her world view.

Martha had one child. Her daughter was delivered at home in Spokane in 1975 during a snowstorm. The blizzard delivered nine inches of snow while Martha delivered a happy and healthy baby girl named "Spirit of the Snow" Davis, named in honor of the Native Americans, their history and the storm. Though Spirit later changed her name to Jodie, she still cherishes her birthname and its meaning. She appreciates the holdouts who continue to call her Spirit.

Martha devoted herself to serving as a positive role model to her daughter. She was a shining example of hard work, dedication, creative and open-minded thinking, positive problem solving, courage, honesty, trust and generosity. She taught Jodie the value of genuine and meaningful social interaction, responsibility, caring and love. Jodie looked up to her Mom with amazement and respect. She provided Jodie with the richest childhood. Their lives were filled with abundant amazing, unique and meaningful experiences for which Jodie is endlessly grateful.

From early childhood, Martha was skilled in the arts and loved to color and draw, this later led to a career in Graphic Design. She started her own design business during the recession. Martha was immensely talented, entrepreneurial in spirit and possessed such a creative mind. She enjoyed learning and refining new techniques to meet client's needs. She was skilled in any type of artistic endeavor that could be imagined from screen-printing, logos and signage, carpentry, portraits, ceramics, sandblasting, prints, leaded glass, illustrations for the Spokesman Review, even totem pole carving and much more! Designing the City of Spokane logo, which can be found all over town in its many forms from manhole covers to utility bills and even refuse trucks, was the feather in her cap. She often joked that she created the largest moving art installation in Spokane.

Martha always had goals and aspirations, and she was never afraid to try new things, even when they were challenging or non-traditional. Though tradition, social rules or systems repeatedly said "No single women and single mothers don't get to do this or that", she had a way of figuring things out. She turned her visions into reality through immense hard work, intention and navigating her way through the construct of systems that were not set up for her to be able to succeed in. She was always a free-thinker and problem-solver. When she wanted to become a property owner she did not just accept being told that she could not get a loan because she was a self-employed single woman. Time and time again she employed her creativity and ingenuity to achieve her goals. Becoming a property owner was an accomplishment that she was immensely proud of. She continually made improvements and invested her labor, her hard-earned income, and her heart and soul back into her property over the course of her lifetime.

Martha's only child, Jodie, and her ex-husband, Dan Pierson, have three children: Gavin, Dylan, and Lilly. Martha loved being their Gramma and spending time with them. She is so proud of the successful young adults that they have become. Martha was so excited and proud of Jodie's goal to become an RN. She was so happy to have gotten to celebrate this achievement with Jodie and Jodie's partner, Alice Young.

For many years Martha volunteered at local theaters where she and Jodie would serve as ushers, and later she would include her grandchildren in this tradition as well. When Jodie was in high school Martha decided that she and her daughter should become ski instructors for Mt. Spokane where they both worked for many years sharing their skill, knowledge and love of skiing with hundreds upon hundreds of students of all ages. Gavin and Dylan later joined the team of instructors as well. How fun it was for Martha to have all three generations skiing and teaching. Her work as a ski instructor at Mt. Spokane and her volunteer-work for Interplayers, The Civic Theater and The FOX were especially meaningful because they led to many valued and long-lasting friendships.

Later in her life Martha drew upon her caring nature and became a licensed CNA, providing many years of skilled professional care and support for her elderly clients. As a CNA she was able to accept jobs in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas so that she could be close to her parents during their old age. After Martha's parents passed away at ages 96 and 97, she retired and spent most of her time being active with her friends skiing, kayaking and doing water aerobics. She continued to improve her property doing yardwork, rooting, planting hundreds of trees and building fences. Martha had plans to travel again to reunite with her friends from abroad, unfortunately she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She continually recounted how much she enjoyed her life as a human being on this beautiful blue planet.

Whether you knew Martha from childhood, her travels, the art world, Mt. Spokane, Interplayers/Civic/Fox, LiveStrong or another association, she was sure to have made an impact on your life. She wants to give all her friends and family a great big hug and remind them to cherish the many simple pleasures in life.

Martha is survived by her daughter, Jodie Davis (Alice Young); her grandchildren: Lilly Pierson, Gavin Pierson and Dylan Pierson; her siblings: Fred Perry Gustavson ^III ('61) (Phoebe Williams Gustavson); Julie Ellen Gustavson Nebel ('66); Julian Donald Purton Gustavson ('68); Robert David "Bob" Gustavson ('70) (Donna); and Mary Louise Gustavson DeCesare ('72) (Michael).

She was preceded in death by her dad, Don, on September 9, 2017; by her mother, Mary, on January 11, 2018; and by her brother-in-law, John Nebel, on October 10, 2014.

Please donate to Martha's favorite charities: KSPS Public Television, EWU Jazz Radio, The Civic Theater, The Fox or Southern Poverty Law Center.

Condolences may be sent to Jodie Davis: 2633 W. Sanson Avenue, Spokane, WA 99205 or jodiedavis.email@gmail.com.

A memorial celebration of Martha's life will be held beginning at 2pm on July 25, 2021 at 3127 E. 14th Avenue in Spokane. Dinner, refreshments, dessert, music and reminiscing to follow. If you have a special photo, please bring it to donate to the memory board and please share your favorite memory, story or anecdote about Marty. Please RSVP by July 20, 2021 to Jodie Davis jodiedavis.email@gmail.com via email or text to 509-533-5345.

Express your thoughts and memories in the Guestbook.

Published in the Spokesman-Review on March 7, 2021.

Bomber Memorial put together by Shirley COLLINGS Haskins ('66).