Shirley Hubbard Martz , 86, Minot, co-founder of Brady, Martz and Associates P.C., died Friday, June 3, 2011 in Bismarck.

Shirley Rita Hubbard was born in Minneapolis on July 23, 1924, to Elmer and Vivian Hubbard of Mohall, North Dakota. She was raised in Mohall and attended Mohall High School where she graduated in 1941 as class Valedictorian. She briefly attended Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont, before returning to North Dakota to attend the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Shirley graduated from UND in 1945 with honors in accounting as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, Grey Gown and Mortar Board. She then joined the Minot accounting firm of Janz and Iverson as a staff accountant. She received her Certified Public Accountant certificate in July of 1946, becoming the first woman in the state to practice as a CPA.

Shirley married Baldwin Martz on October 13, 1946. They made their home in Grand Forks where she taught accounting at the University, while Baldwin worked for E.W. Brady. In 1947, Shirley and Baldwin became partners in the new firm of Janz, Iverson and Martz. Shirley and Baldwin subsequently formed Baldwin Martz & Associates, which eventually evolved into the present day Brady Martz, one of the largest accounting firms in the region with offices in Minot, Bismarck, Dickinson, Grand Forks, Williston, and Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Shirley continued to practice as a CPA for more than forty years. She was an active member and committee person in the North Dakota Society of CPAs and in the American Institute of CPAs. In 1985, she received the state Public Service Award from the N.D. Society of CPAs. She retired from active practice in 1989.

In addition to her contributions as an accountant, Shirley served for four years on the Board of Directors of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce, and three years as a director of St. Joseph's Hospital. She was a charter member of the Minot Quota Club, a service club for women, and, in 2010, was named North Dakota District 22 Quotarian of the Year. She served for several years as a director of the Greater North Dakota Association, and was a teacher in the GNDA-sponsored Business Challenge Program which teaches young people about business. She was a participant in the Governor's Conference on Small Business, and in 1985 served as a moderator for the state White House Conference on Small Business. She was also a founding member of the Minot Tennis Club, and active with the Minot Symphony League. A 40 - year member of St. Leo's Catholic Church, Shirley served several terms on the Finance Committee of the Church Council. After her retirement, she served on the Board of Directors of the Viking Fund, a North Dakota mutual fund, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Mary, from which she retired in 2009. Baldwin died March 26, 2000.

In addition to her public career, Shirley Martz was a loving wife and the mother of five children, four of whom survive: Steffany Martz, a resident of New York City; Marilyn Foss, a Bismarck attorney; a son Leslie Martz, residing in Aberdeen, SD; and Lissa Rurik (Mark), an investment professional in Minneapolis. Another son, John, died in 1958. She has five grandchildren (Matthew Becker, Emily Yanish, Sean Foss, and William and Lauren Rurik) and three great-grandchildren (Isabelle and Olivia Becker, and Avery Yanish) and a sister, Barbara Karmiller of Portland, OR.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents, husband, son, John, and sister, Elizabeth Banker.

Throughout her professional career and retirement Shirley Martz was a dedicated booster of the state of North Dakota. Greatly respected within the business community, her expertise and practical attitude were invaluable to the many civic and cultural projects to which she lent her support. Her private enthusiasms included music, tennis, dancing and travel. She was also an avid seamstress and hostess. Her children, grandchildren and many friends particularly remember her sense of humor, her style and her unfailing belief in putting her best foot forward.

Funeral service: Monday, June 13, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Leo's Catholic Church, Minot.
Interment : Rosehill Memorial Park, Minot.
Visitation: Sunday, June 12, 2011 from Noon - 5:00 p.m., with recitation of a Vigil Prayer Service on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. in the Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.
In lieu of flowers or plants, memorials are preferred to ND Society of Certified Public Accountants for the Baldwin & Shirley Martz Scholarship Fund at 2701 South Columbia Road, Grand Forks, ND; MSU Development Foundation the Baldwin & Shirley Martz Accounting Scholarship Fund; the Salvation Army of Bismarck, Mandan, or Minot; the Red Cross for North Dakota or the American Cancer Society.