Marty Kendall. PHOTO PROVIDED<\/p>\n
Martha (Marty) Kendall and her husband, John Kendall, have owned their home since January 1991 and moved down from Michigan after retiring in November 2000. The most important thing about her, she said, would be her love for nature.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of my life, I\u2019ve been into preserving nature and making this a better place because I\u2019ve been here. It\u2019s all about the preservation where we live and treating it well. I\u2019ve been able to hook in with organizations that fit that bill,\u201d Kendall said, naming the Calusa Land Trust as well as the Pine Island Garden Club .<\/p>\n
Kendall said they looked at three houses when they came to the island and put an offer on the one which stole their hearts the very next day. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still there and we still love the property. It\u2019s very important to us, because we are surrounded by nature,\u201d Kendall said.<\/p>\n
Her love for Pine Island, which has never left, she said, came upon arrival when she instantly felt a pull for the island, describing it as peaceful, creative, funky and very interested in preserving its Old Florida land. Kendall, in her love for nature, displays her love and generosity for Pine Island in her service of the CLT board as well as the PIGC, where she currently serves as board president. Her thought on the folks involved with these organizations is that she believes they are like-minded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are interested in preserving the island. They are kind to each other and help each other out and they are very positive in many ways. It\u2019s really pleasant to be surrounded by people like that,\u201d Kendall said, adding that serving these organizations is not something she considers a duty, but something wonderful.<\/p>\n
In describing the island to a stranger, she said she would say it\u2019s a place that\u2019s special and simply smells like home. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Old Florida, where you can breathe clean air. It\u2019s a feast for your eyes, with the water, the shore birds and the people around us. It\u2019s an outstanding place to be,\u201d Kendall said.<\/p>\n
In search for her greatest wish for Pine Island, she said, she and her husband, John, agree that overall preservation of the natural land is a fundamental key and also on the pragmatic environmental responsibility that should ultimately accompany land development of any kind on Pine Island. <\/p>\n
\u201cKeep what we can to preserve the spirit of the island,\u201d Kendall said.<\/p>\n