William Martin-Gill
William (Will) Martin-Gill passed away at the age of 47 on Friday, September 20, 2024, in Tiburon, CA. Born in Madrid, Spain, on June 5, 1977, to Ignacio Martín Sequeros and Deborah Anne Gill, Will lived life with a fierce commitment to his family, friends, and colleagues, an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and a joy of exploring new cultures and places through travel.
Will’s academic accomplishments were formidable. Will grew up in Madrid until the age of 11, when he moved to the United States and quickly established himself as a star student. After graduating Valedictorian from high school in Virginia Beach, he received a full ride to attend the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar. While studying systems engineering, he established a wonderful group of lifelong friends, rooting for UVA football and basketball no matter how frustrating.
After college, Will began an impressive career, first at the Chicago office of the Boston Consulting Group and later moving to the West Coast to work at eBay. Along the way, he built enduring friendships, spent a year working in Spain closer to his Spanish family, and obtained an MBA at Harvard Business School, strengthening his expertise in strategy and business development.
Will quickly established himself as a bright mind and strong leader in the business world. After several years at eBay, he jumped into the start-up world of Silicon Valley, joining Kenshoo (now Skai), an innovative advertising company where he pushed internet marketing to new dimensions. The last business challenge he undertook was transitioning to the health insurance industry, aiming to bring his Silicon Valley expertise and outsider’s perspective to transform the healthcare industry for the better at Blue Shield of California. Will loved his work, not just because he found it intellectually stimulating, but also because of the deep connections he formed with colleagues, mentors, and mentees. Throughout his career, two things always remained true — he quickly became a valued member of any team, and he was loved and respected by all who worked with him.
Living a motto of working hard and playing hard, Will completed triathlons and traveled the world with friends and family. He met his wife, Lindsay, in San Francisco, where they married in 2012, forming a loving and eternal partnership. They have two amazing children, whom Will loved with a gentle ferocity. Always rooted in family and friends, he enjoyed weekend getaways with friends and good wine, instilled his passion for travel in his sons, shared his love of self-created cocktails, and continually fed his hunger for knowledge, connecting with others, and bettering himself and those around him.
When Will was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor, this journey, like all his others, was met with persistence, resilience, hope, and positivity. When learning that his time was limited despite chemotherapy and radiation, he made clear what he wanted to do with his time — continue to live his life to the fullest as he always had, make a difference, and do the things he loved. He kept working in a company among people he loved and where he felt that he could make an impact. He took time with his wife and kids to make special foundational memories, found joy in day-to-day life, spent time with family and friends near and far, and as the avid traveler, made sure to check a few other destinations off his bucket list.
Will is survived by his wife Lindsay, his sons Parker (8) and Cooper (5), his parents Deborah and Ignacio, his brother Christian, and his extended family in the U.S. and Spain. We will remember Will for the incredible person he was — a loving husband and true life partner, a compassionate and playful father, a loyal brother both literally and figuratively to many, a remarkable son who made his parents very proud, a dedicated friend who made friends feel like family, a committed colleague and mentor who never gave up on anyone, a thoughtful strategist who many relied on for advice, an adventurous world traveler who loved to experience other cultures and places, an avid information gatherer who held more facts in his brain than anyone else, and a man who remained intrinsically connected to his family even from afar.
The legacy that Will leaves behind is one to marvel at. He would want everyone to live their lives as he did — doing the things you love every day, prioritizing meaningful friendships and family, assuming the best in people, and always striving to better yourself.
A celebration of life is planned. For more information, visit https://everloved.com/life-of/will-martin-gill.