July 7, 2007 In front of the Unitarian church in Peterborough there was a long table covered with hats. At either end of the table was a boudoir mirror. Men and women arrived at the church, most wearing artful clothing from around the world, inspired by the amazing woman whose life they had come to celebrate. The women stepped up to the little table and, following the wishes of Linda Marsella, picked from among the hundreds of hats that would have made Bartholemew Cubbins green with envy. “Wear one of my hats today and take it home as your own,” was the wish in the handwritten note.
Linda Marsella had almost single-handedly driven an impressive string of creative endeavors in the Monadnock region during the last few decades, and the memorial reflected that.
The people in the audience had features and dress that indicated their ancestral origins in all the six inhabited continets of the world. One of the most impressive monents of the gathering was when Monica Veth of the world-renowned Lowell (Mass.) Ankgor Dance Troupe performed a solo Khmer dance on the floor in from of a large portrait of Marsella..She held an ornate stemmed bowl of flower petals in one hand as she moved gracefully for about five minutes, then she reached into the bowl and flung a handful of petals at the portrait. Turning around and continuing to smile a smile of power, she showered the family and friends in the front of the audience with more petals, then she continued the dignified dance to its conclusion.
Other performers included in the gathering were Animaterra, a local women’s choral group that Linda had been associated with, young jazz saxophinist Nellson Perry, and the classical guitar-vocal Duo Live Oak (Frank and Nancy Knowles). Nellson’s father, Bill Perry, gave the eulogy and several of Linda’s close friends and neighbors told their stories about her. Woody Black Cloud delivered a Native American blessing with smudges, drums and song. Doris “Granny D” Haddock sat in the back of the room, and while she did not address the crowd, some of her words on the subject of international understanding and peace were read. The Mariposa Museum of World Peace, across the street from the Unitarian church, will remain open, keeping Linda’s hopes and dreams alive and growing in the world, and many of the people who attended this event will be carrying on in the world with a portion of Linda Marsella’s boldness and wisdom in their hearts. The hats alone keep me doing double-takes as I walk the streets of Peterborough and see Linda’s energetic form approaching with a new idea to share…
Linda Marsella, December 17, 1949 – June 20, 2007, “Professional Dreamer for Hire”
