Prominent North Fork real estate agent Gigi Martinez killed in car accident in Mexico

Gilda ‘Gigi’ Martinez, a longtime North Fork realtor and driven businesswoman, died at age 61 on Aug. 30 in a car accident during a trip to Mexico, where she planned to retire, her colleagues confirmed.

AnnMarie Pallister, managing broker at the Signature Premier Properties branch in Hampton Bays, said Ms. Martinez, two of her five pets and a friend traveling with her died in a car crash. The Suffolk Times received a tip on Friday that the friend’s name was Dianne Kozakiewicz, wife of former Riverhead town attorney Bob Kozakiewicz.

“Tragically, she was taken from us in a car accident just 20 minutes away from achieving her dream of buying a home in Mexico — a dream she worked so hard for,” Ms. Pallister said in a statement. “We are devastated, but we know her light will live on in every memory, every laugh and every heart she touched.”

Ms. Martinez, who lived in Peconic, was born in New York City, grew up in Nassau County and settled on the North Fork nearly 20 years ago. A self-proclaimed “workaholic,” she started on Wall Street, dabbled in acting and worked for Electrolux. She also owned and operated her own flooring and carpet business. Her most recent employment was with Signature Premier Properties as a realtor alongside Jesse Stein.

Outside of her professional success, she enjoyed cooking, going to the beach and soaking up the sun. She was also an avid animal lover who cared for four dogs and a cockatoo. She is remembered as “radiant,” “fearless” and “an incredible friend” who “left a lasting impression on everyone she met.”

“[She was] driven, motivated — she was just such a fun, loving ‘life-of-the-party’ girl,” said Ms. Pallister. “She lit up every room that she walked into.”

Many shared their personal sentiments about Ms. Martinez on social media, including Body and Sol Tanning in Aquebogue, where Ms. Martinez became more than “just a client” to the business.

“She had tanned with us since we opened our doors in 2006,” the social media post read. “She always had such compassion and love in her heart for complete strangers.”

Her cousin Lisa Sanchez Eisenberg, who worked with Ms. Martinez in the flooring and carpet business, remembered her as “like a sister,” in a Facebook post.

“Our adult adventures began almost 30 years ago from living together, working together, going to shows and concerts, laughing about silly things and just enjoying life,” Ms. Eisenberg wrote in her social media post. “She was ambitious, generous and funny. Everybody who knew her loved her and knew immediately she was a kind soul.”

Services for Gigi Martinez took place Saturday, Sept. 20, at The Commack Abbey in Commack. Memorial donations can be made to the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington.

This story has been updated.