Martina Niemeyer

Martina Niemeyer (née Ashman) passed away on December 5th, 2025 at United Hospital surrounded by her husband, brother, and mother. She died after a brief but fierce fight with breast cancer that had returned and spread after several years in remission.

Martina was born on July 13th, 1989, in the small desert town of Hemet, California. She was welcomed into a loving family, the daughter of her father Gary, who has preceded her in death, her mother Polly, and her older brothers Brian and Charlie.

Martina grew up playing in the orange groves, riding her bike to her friend Holly’s house, swimming in her backyard pool, and playing the Sims, Age of Empires, and Monopoly with her brothers. She was always a voracious reader and writer, even from a young age. In high school, Martina was quick-witted and smart, excelling in her classes and taking multiple AP courses each year. She and her friends would walk and drive all over Hemet, stay up all night at Dennys, and eat an impressive amount of taco shop and Del Taco. She was a great friend to so many people.

Martina lived most of her life in California, spent a chapter in Boise, Idaho (where she completed a bachelor’s degree in History), and eventually settled in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It felt as if her life fell into place when she met and married Justus Niemeyer. They met and fell in love in 2021, bought a house in 2022, were married by Elvis in Las Vegas in 2023, and welcomed their daughter, Ramona Martina Niemeyer, in November 2024. Martina said of her husband, “Marrying Justus is the best decision I ever made.” She said of her daughter, “My whole reason for existing was to bring Ramona into the world.”

Martina was a lover of history, reading, art, The Simpsons, Doughboys, Law and Order SVU, slow mornings, road trips with NPR, putting on her comfies, making her house cozy, baking, her late cat Tuba, and kissing her daughter's cheeks. She had a remarkable ability to appreciate the little things in life and to show gratitude even in the toughest moments, including the final days of her life.

Martina is survived by her husband Justus Niemeyer, daughter Ramona Martina Niemeyer, mother Margaret (Polly) Renwick, and brothers Brian and Charlie Ashman. She also leaves behind her loving aunts and uncles: Sara and Donny, Charlie, Mary and Ry, and Joe and Annie of Minnesota; Cathy and Tony of Kansas; Phil and Kelly, and James and Karen of California, along with the many wonderful cousins with whom she grew up.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday December 17, 2025 at 1:00PM at Lakewood Cemetery in the Memorial Chapel with a reception to follow.