(December 17, 1971- June 16, 2019)
A Lovingly Remembrance From Her Family:
Tisha’s lighting career started at age 12, working in the warehouse and office at her family’s showroom, Martin Lighting. She was a shy bashful little girl who insisted she could not work with customers ―yet once she got a taste of working with customers, there was no turning back! After the family business closed in 2002, she had a short stint in sales outside of the lighting industry, but her love of lighting brought her back to her roots when she decided to open her own lighting agency, TLV Sales in the St. Louis area, in 2008.
She was honored as Rep of the Year by many of her vendors, as well as her customers, over the years and was loved by everyone who came in contact with her.
Tisha has saved at least four lives to date by donating her organs. We are proud to call her our family hero. She had a light that will shine on in all of us who were lucky enough to know her.
She will be deeply missed by our family. We will carry her with us every single day.
The Martins and Van Barnevelds
A Fond Memory From Bill Frisella of METRO Lighting:
First and foremost, Tisha was much more than lighting. She was a daughter, a sister, a mother, a wife, a cousin, an aunt, and a friend to so many ― and she was as good in these roles as she was in lighting. That’s saying a lot because she excelled in the industry that she grew up in. Ever since she was a little girl, along with her siblings, she became an expert in lighting thanks to her parents Sue and Larry Martin.
I first met Tisha and the entire Martin family when she was still a teenager. Their family business at the time, Martin Lighting and my company, METRO Lighting, had always been friendly competitors. Even then, it was hard not to notice Tisha’s bubbly personality, her beautiful smile, and her natural beauty. As time went on, all of us at METRO discovered that her outside beauty was equaled by her beautiful inner self. She was truly beautiful inside and out.
Tisha, also excelled in the lighting industry as a top manufacturer’s representative for a number of lighting companies. Simply put, she was the best in the industry bar none. Our METRO employees got to know Tisha personally and even though she didn’t work for us directly, she and her family were considered a part of the METRO family.
Looking back, lighting allowed us to get to know Tisha so well. She talked about her kids, her husband, her family, her trips, and adventures, her ups and downs…her life. We all became great friends way beyond the industry that brought us together initially. We became family.
We are all going to miss Tisha and that infectious laugh, her happy demeanor, and her inner beauty. She touched us all.
Bill Frisella, METRO Lighting
She was incredibly special, and a friend to everyone she met. A little sister to me, and a smile to all around her. We’ll miss you Tisha, but your memories will live on with us all!