Marty Joseph Feuerborn

He fought hard and had fun until the end in true Marty style. He was preceded in death by his youngest brother Andrew Feuerborn. Marty was the third oldest of 11 siblings. He is survived by both of his parents, Merle and Alta Feuerborn, his four brothers: Paul Feuerborn (Mike), Mike Feuerborn (Susan), John Feuerborn (Carly), and Joe Feuerborn (Lisa); and five sisters: Pamela Hoover (Rob), Mary Mize (Mike), Anna Beckwith (Doug), Amy Cain (Jimmy), and Sarah Harbaugh (Jim). He is also survived by more nieces and nephews than he could count, all of whom loved their Uncle Marty.

The Feuerborn siblings are a dynamic group of incredible entrepreneurs and successful professionals who never say no to a challenge and always put their family first. All remaining siblings still say, to this day, that Marty’s leadership into the entrepreneurship world, starting with a pizza shop and ultimately dozens of Subway sandwich shops, empowered them to push their own limits in achieving their careers. Marty was brilliant and an incredibly hard worker whose fighting spirit lives on in his daughters.

Marty was a born leader from day one. From saving his sister Amy from drowning in the creek behind the family home to throwing wicked curve balls down the middle from the high school baseball pitcher’s mound. He was a fierce competitor who wanted to make a difference.

Marty graduated from St. John’s seminary in 1982 where he was both valedictorian and the most well known party planner. He made some lifelong friends at St. John’s, like Todd Brower, now a dentist, who loved telling Marty’s kids hilarious stories of his shenanigans while they got their cavities filled. After the seminary, Marty attended University of Dallas for a bit until his entrepreneurial spirit took over and he took the plunge.

Many of you know Marty as the “Subway guy”. Marty opened his first Subway sandwich shop at the age of 25, two weeks before the birth of his first daughter, Rachael. In fact, Marty had been out with another good buddy, Dave Grimes, celebrating the opening of the first Subway, when Marty’s wife at the time, Diane Olinger Feuerborn, went into labor a few weeks early. Marty sobered up with a few footlong subs before welcoming his first daughter into the world.

Rachael grew up in the back of Subway, and sometimes, when dad wasn’t watching, the employees would let her make sandwiches. Rachael wasn’t the only one; nearly every sibling (and mother Alta) worked at Subway at one point or another. They all gratefully remember smelling like bread and mustard and are endlessly thankful to Marty for setting an example and supporting the family.

Marty continued to expand his Subway empire through the birth of his second and third daughters, Lauren and Kara. Those days of his life were filled with hard work, scaling his business, and fun times. Many of the fondest memories you all have are no doubt at a stadium in front of a grill. Marty was a master griller and ultimate tailgater. His older daughters had been to more Chiefs and Royals games than they could count by grade school. He loved being at the stadium. Later in life, Marty and his daughter Kara bonded over their mutual love of sports. Marty and Kara were at Arrowhead when Kara introduced him to her now fiance, Tyler. Marty was at Kauffman, with Kara and Tyler, when the Royals lost in game seven in 2014 and cheered together when they won in 2015. Marty was there in 2020 when Tyler asked Kara to marry him hours before the Chiefs Superbowl win. Marty and Kara are two peas in a pod. They speak the same language, and both enjoy a cool, crisp Miller Lite and a football game.

As Marty reached the end of his Subway days, before selling them off and spending his days on his golf game, Marty and his wife decided to try for a boy. Instead, he was blessed with triplet daughters Lindsay, Johanna, and Melanie. Don’t worry, the dog was a boy.

Marty loved his girls more than anything. By the time the triplets were in grade school, the oldest daughters were out of the house. He made those three little girls breakfast every morning, his favorite time of the day. He made sure Lindsay got the red plate, Johanna the green, and Melanie the blue. Just the way they liked it. Breakfast was often accompanied by random, acoustic versions of Marty original songs and goofy dancing. He played, teased, and he worked tirelessly to provide for all his daughters.

Marty sold his Subways and enjoyed his time dabbling in new ventures, playing golf, going to games, and hanging out with his parents. Marty is the first person to poke fun and do hysterical imitations of his parents but he loved them fiercely. Marty and Merle shared an office for over 30 years where they’d meet up daily, discuss last night’s Royals game and banter. In Marty’s last few months with us, the highlight of his day was going to the office with his dad, even 12 years after he sold his business.

He also loved spending time with his mother, Alta, as well. Every time she couldn’t get some electronic device to work or made extra food, Marty was there to help. Alta spent the early days at Subway, the middle days watching Marty’s girls, and stayed by Marty’s side until the end. Marty was the only one that could nail Alta’s gravy recipe during family holidays. He was always thrilled to host holidays and cook for his family. Alta and Marty would tag team holidays like pros. Marty fully inherited Alta’s desire to take care of those around her and show his love with food and family parties.

Marty fought hard and lived well past medical professionals expectations. He spent the last years working hard during the day in the appraisal business alongside his brother Mike, sister Amy, and nephew Tim. When it got tough for Marty to get around by himself, his brother John would drive him to his appointments to help out and to spend a little extra time with him. In the evenings of his last years, Marty enjoyed meeting with his family and friends for a drink and catching whatever game was on that night, but he especially enjoyed meeting up with his best buddy, Carly Slimm, who hosted weekly Friday Happy hours for Marty and his family at her and John's house. Carly was Marty’s go to and she provided a rock for Marty to lean on through good and bad times. The night before his death, his daughters dreamed up what heaven had in store for him. Marty’s heaven is a tailgate, a fountain of ice cold beer, endless golf, and quality time with his brother Andrew. Until the rest of his family can join him, he will keep the brats warm and the beers cold.