Martha (Blenkle) Stanley

Martha was born on September 4, 1951, in Pocatello, Idaho, to Marcus Aurelius Blenkle and Sophie Laslo. As the youngest of seven children, she was the surprise child after most of her siblings were grown and married. Early in her school days, her teacher frustrated with having 6 Marthas in class, changed her name to Marti, which stuck with her for her entire life. Always independent and rebellious, she left home at 16 and started a family at 17 with the birth of daughter, Kimberley. She married Donald Gene Derby in 1970 and added to their little family with a son, Bradley, in 1971.

Divorcing Donald in 1978, Marti struck out to create a new life for her and her children, moving to Boulder, CO and eventually Estes Park, CO where she married John Richard Whiteis, whom she divorced in 1986.

Marti was a driver for United Parcel Service for 16 years before an injury sidelined her from those duties. She was one of only a small number of female drivers early in her career with UPS and was selected to be one of the drivers to open the Boulder, CO terminal in the late 1970’s.

In 1987, Marti left Estes Park and moved back to Boulder, CO where she enrolled in college at Front Range Community College and achieved her bachelor’s degree in business management in 1993.

1993 led her to Wisconsin for a short-lived time while working towards moving to Illinois. She moved to the Chicago area where she worked multiple jobs utilizing her business degree and learning the art of purchasing. Her last career prior to retirement was with H20+ as a purchasing agent. She earned multiple certificates of achievement in subjects such as, “How to Be a Better Buyer”, “Microsoft Office Course”, “Effective Negotiating”, and “Building Better Work Relationships”.

Marti was an avid learner. She was always taking classes in activities like macrame, pottery, stained glass, painting, gardening and much more. Her favorite life lesson, which she lived every day, was simple but profound: learn something new every day.

During her years in Illinois, Marti furthered her education by taking courses in landscape design and horticulture, cultivating both knowledge and beauty in her gardens. She was an avid gardener, able to bring life and color into every space she touched.

A lifelong reader of all genres, she also nourished her love of stories. She would read about 20 books every week of her life. She discovered storytelling festivals, which she attended yearly in Tennessee with her best friend, John Thomas Stanley.

In 2000, Marti and John Stanley were finally married after many years of friendship. They enjoyed their years happily married while living in separate states until John became ill with Lewy-Body Dementia and Marti returned to Boulder to care for him until his death in 2017.

Marti is survived by her daughter Kimberley (Brian); her son Bradley; her honorary daughter Wendy; her stepdaughter Amanda; her beloved grandsons Mikhail (Whitney), John “Alex”, and Tyler; and her great-grandchildren Gavin, June, and Emma. She is also survived by her sister Pauline.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Marcus and Sophie; her brothers Wilbur, William, and Herbert; and her sisters Katherine and Margaret.

A graveside service to honor Martha’s life will be held on Friday, October 3, 2025 at 12:30 pm, at Resthaven Memory Gardens in Fort Collins, Colorado. Family and friends are invited to attend and share in remembering a gentle woman whose independence, adventure and deep compassion for humanity will be missed greatly.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a local pet shelter or Hope West of Western Colorado at https://www.hopewestco.org/memorial-gifts/. Fond memories of Marti and words of condolence for her family are welcome at resthavencolorado.com.