Tamara Charmaine Gillespie

After her 7-year battle against cancer, she is now peacefully at rest. She is preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents and father. Tamara is survived by her two daughters Alexandra and Emma Gillespie, husband Elliott Gillespie, mother and father Mary and Mark Ahlemeyer, siblings Justin and Charlie Bratt, Faith Flory, Joe Ahlemeyer, and many nieces and nephews.

Tamara grew up in Norton, Kansas and later made her home in Belton, MO where she and Elliott raised their family. Tamara was a graduate of Norton Community High School and Fort Hays State University. She had a career as a Loan Officer and was a strong advocate for Metastatic Breast Cancer Research.

When thinking about Tamara’s life and all that she loved, we agreed that she was truly an emotional woman that wanted to experience and feel all things life could give her. The most important thing to her in life was her family. She was a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and aunt. Her family gave her so much joy and she loved spending time with them laughing, cooking and baking, watching her children's sports and activities, enjoying the outdoors, sunshine, water, paddle boarding, and making memories. Tamara made sure that a photo existed of all the memories she wanted to keep close and share with the world. Alex, Emma, and Elliott were the center of her life and she was the biggest cheerleader for their life goals, accomplishments, and dreams. When life became hard she found a way to help them navigate those challenges. She taught her girls to be kind, strong, confident, brave, passionate, and independent just as she was. The values of family and friends are instilled in them because of her.

Friends meant the world to Tamara and were an extension of her family. We can't even begin to count the number of friendships Tamara had in her 39 years of life. People were drawn to her fearlessness, passion, spicy attitude, contagious laughter, humor, and wild nature. Tamara was always the life of the party and loved to dance, sing, and feel alive. Her girlfriends traveled the world with her and experienced new adventures, culture, food, and fun. Looking back at her childhood is no different. She was just one of the guys when they needed her and the best listener for many late-night phone calls with a girlfriend. Tamara believed in her friends and mothered everyone as she did her own family. No one doubted her loyalty and or that she would be there if they ever needed her. She never knew a stranger. Tamara truly loves her friends………..ALL OF THEM.

As much as we loathe cancer and what it has done to her life, it had a tremendous impact on her last 7 years. Tamara fought the greatest battle of her life with dignity, bravery, and grit. This battle taught her so much about life and gave her a new perspective on the world. She found a new love and relationship with the world, the sun, the moon, and the vastness of our universe. Her understanding of relationships and people became clearer. The superficial things that mean so much to us soon became less meaningful to her. Although cancer changed her, she was still the same Tamara that we all know and love. She had a giant heart, a stubbornness that didn't quit, she was a bit of a crier, relentless, and outspoken. Tamara had a love for art and creativity, was fashion forward, one with the sun, and loved her family and friends fiercely. She was truly one of a kind. The world will miss her dearly. She has meant so much to so many. May you rest peacefully beautiful Tamara.

A visitation for Tamara will be held Tuesday, January 3, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer and Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131, followed by a celebration of life service from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mtmoriah.net for the Gillespie family.