A popular Overland Park Farmers’ Market vendor known for selling locally grown vegetables has passed away.
Margarita Pearl, who operated the Pearl Family Farm booth with her family for many years, died last week following a multi-year battle with cancer. She was 68 years old.
A post on the Overland Park Farmers’ Market Facebook page announcing her passing remembers her as “a familiar face and a constant presence” as well as a “part of the everyday rhythm of the market.”
“She wasn’t simply part of the farm; she was part of what made the market feel like the community it is,” the memorial post reads.
“Over the years, we’ve come to appreciate that the market is about so much more than what happens behind the booths. It’s about the people, the relationships, and the families who become part of one another’s lives,” the market’s Facebook post continues. “Margarita was one of those people, and her presence will be deeply missed.”
Originally from New York, Pearl joined the Parkville, Missouri-based Pearl Family Farm when she married Mike Pearl in the 1990s. The couple went on to have three children and have since welcomed grandchildren.
The farm itself dates back to 1890, when David Pearl, a former slave, bought 87 acres of farmland in Platte County, Missouri, according to the Pearl Family Farm website. Today, the farm is still run by the Pearl family, growing dozens of vegetables, including beets, cabbage and leeks.
Pearl Family Farm also sells its produce at the Lakeview Village retirement community in Lenexa and at KC Food Hub, a farmer-run cooperative on Merriam Lane in northern Overland Park.
An obituary posted online by Meyers Funeral Chapels asks for memorial contributions to be made to the St. Luke’s Breast Cancer Center in Kansas City.
Since the farmers’ market post over the weekend, community members and friends have replied with their own remembrances of Pearl and an outpouring of support for her family.
“We loved Margarita and will cherish our memories of her at the OPFM,” one commenter said. “She made the market a special place for us and our children.”
Another commenter said the Pearl Family Farm is always one of their “go-to stops” when they visit the farmers’ market.
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