Gina Marie Maki
Gina Marie Maki (Marinucci), age 46, passed away peacefully and surrounded by the love of her family on Saturday, February 18, 2023 at EvergreenHealth Hospice Center in Kirkland, Washington from Stage IV colon cancer. Gina is survived by her parents, Terrance and Jennifer; her husband, Andy; her children, Carter (19), Noah (17) and Chase (13); and her brother, Troy.
Gina was born on August 18, 1976, in Hibbing, Minnesota, to Terrance and Jennifer Marinucci. She was a 1994 graduate of Hibbing High School and a 1999 graduate of the College of Saint Benedict with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. On June 26, 1999, she married her high school sweetheart, Andy, and they moved to Rochester, MN. Gina worked as a Tobacco Cessation Counselor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester until 2003. Gina and Andy then celebrated the birth of their three boys on September 6, 2003 for Carter; February 9, 2006 for Noah and April 6, 2009 for Chase. Her children were the most important part of her life and she decided to become a stay at home mom after Carter was born. In June of 2012, Gina and her family moved to Woodinville, Washington.
Gina loved spending time with her family and had a knack of always picking the best destination for family vacations. She loved to travel and find different beaches to relax on and her family has many amazing memories of their travels. She was always looking for ways to help people. She volunteered her time at the boys’ schools as well as in support of their sports. For Woodinville Little League, she focused on fundraising and coordinated the Mid-Season Classic event which was a day of fun for all baseball and softball families. The events that she planned were amazing and brought many smiles to many faces. She also volunteered as the co-General Manager for Carter’s FCA baseball team for multiple seasons.
In September of 2019, Gina’s life changed forever when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer that had spread to her liver and lungs. She started chemotherapy and was able to stabilize the disease for 3 years. While enduring the side effects of chemotherapy, Gina’s passion for helping others focused on raising money for Colorectal cancer research and also making sure that none of her friends would suffer the same as she by advocating for colonoscopies at age 40. She held multiple fundraisers and influenced many of her friends to get colonoscopies. Her brother Troy is carrying on this tradition with a fundraising event in memoriam of Gina:
Our family is forever grateful to the care given to Gina in her final days while in hospice. The staff’s kindness and compassion will not be forgotten.
The family will be holding a celebration of Gina’s life at their home in Woodinville, WA on her birthday, August 18, 2023. All are welcome.
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