Martha Zimicki has been a dedicated volunteer of Spirits Alive since 2008, serving in a variety of roles. As President of the board, Martha built a strong relationship with the city of Portland and worked to maximize the efficiency of its operations. She co-chaired a national conference in Maine for the Association for Gravestone Studies in 2011, bringing dozens of gravestone and cemetery enthusiasts into the state. Later, she hosted the Maine Old Cemetery Association, sharing the treasures of Eastern Cemetery with their members. Most recently, in her role as chief gravestone conservator, Martha led a large team of volunteers who have helped preserve more than 750 gravemarkers at Eastern Cemetery in the past 6 years. She also led efforts in other Portland cemeteries, her goal always being to teach people the correct conservation standards and methods. Martha’s patient and thoughtful leadership approach to conservation has left Eastern Cemetery’s historic gravestones standing taller, cleaner, and straighter than they have in years. We thank Martha for her wonderful contributions to the board, the cemetery, and the city, and leave open an invitation to come back and clean a gravestone (or 10!) whenever she’d like.
We, the Board and volunteers of Spirits Alive, are showering Martha and her husband Jeff our best wishes as they leave Maine for their next great life chapter—living closer to their beloved granddaughter! Martha will greatly missed and we know will never be able to replace her—a very special person and friend.
For a wide array of images and video showing her work over the years, check out Spirits Alive Flickr items tagged Martha.
