In memoriam: Sandra Armentrout
In memoriam: Sandra Armentrout
Sandra ‘Sandy’ Armentrout, 69, museum administrator, preservationist, and grandmother, died at her home in Kennebunkport, Maine, on October 2, 2009, after determinedly living through a long battle with cancer. She was a summer resident of Stonington.
Sandy was a consummate teacher, connoisseur and connector. She loved local history and instilled in others a sense of place. Her appreciation of the arts was matched by her love of the land and the sea.
Throughout her life she worked to preserve both the open space of Southern Maine and its rich architectural history. Through her professional career, volunteer work and network of students and friends her influence has been felt in many towns throughout Maine and beyond.
She was born in Neptune, N.J. on May 8, 1940, to Richard Winston Siver and Florence Josephine Fields. Growing up in Manasquan, N.J., she attended Manasquan High School and was a 1962 graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. with a BA in Art History.
In 1978, Sandy earned a Certificate from the Colonial Williamsburg Seminar for Historical Administration. She moved to Kennebunk in 1965 and made the Kennebunks the center of her life from that time onward. With her expertise in decorative arts and architectural history, Sandy’s professional career was launched in 1976 at the Brick Store Museum, where she served as Director from 1980-86.
Sandy’s contributions to the museum and community were recognized in 1987 when she was named Citizen of the Year by the Kennebunk Chamber of Commerce. She followed her work at the Brick Store with a series of interim directorships at The Portsmouth Athenaeum, Old York Historical Society, The Joan Whitney Payson Gallery at Westbrook College, Maine Historical Society, and River Tree Arts.
From 1989-93 Sandy served as the Northern New England Regional Administrator for the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England). In between she served as a consultant to small museums throughout New England, and was a member of the Maine Arts Commission from 1988-92.
After retiring from museum work, Sandy focused her passions on the community, her love of Maine and its people. She served as a board member of River Tree Arts, the Laudholm Trust and the Kennebunk Land Trust, which recognized her work towards environmental preservation with their 2008 ‘Bull Moose Award.’
Sandy was also an active volunteer for the York County Shelters Food Pantry, The Community Outreach Committee of South Congregational Church, and the Seacoast Garden Club. Her community and charitable work was recognized in 2007 when the University of New England honored her with their annual Deborah Morton Award.
Sandy’s varying pursuits and diverse involvement never lessened her primary commitment to her family and friends. She was renowned throughout the community for her flower gardens, and artfully decorated home, where she delighted in entertaining and hosting, especially during the Christmas season when every window and doorway was decorated. She prized a well-set table, and gave specific guidance, sometimes unwanted, to her family on proper etiquette.
But grandmotherhood reshaped her domestic standards. Sandy delighted in turning her living room into a playroom and her dining room table into a fort. She enjoyed reading and traveling, both of which she did with a sense of adventure, and, of course education, with her three grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.
Her daughter, Victoria Armentrout of Brooklyn, N.Y., her son, Nicholas Armentrout of Lyman, her domestic partner, Richard E. Barnes of Kennebunkport, and her stepchildren, Julian E. Barnes of Washington, D.C. and Caitlin Barnes Ruthman of Portland, survive her. Sandra was predeceased by her brother, Richard Ross Siver.
The family wishes to give special thanks to Marie Louise St. Onge and Judy Fletcher, volunteers who provided loving hospice care to their friend in her final days, and to Hospice of Southern Maine in Scarborough. Visiting hours will be held Thursday, October 8, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer St., Kennebunk.
A celebration of Sandy’s life will be held on Friday, October 9, at 10:30 a.m. at South Congregational Church, Temple Street, Kennebunkport; with a reception to follow. Arrangements are in care of Bibber Memorial Chapel. www.bibberfuneral.com. Family flowers ONLY will be provided for the service.
Donations in Sandy’s memory may be made to: The Brick Store Museum, 117 Main St., Kennebunk, Maine 04043; Kennebunk Land Trust, 11 York St., Kennebunk, Maine 04043; Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress St., Portland, Maine 04101; or York County Shelters P.O. Box 820 Alfred, Maine 04002.
Click here for a news article in The Portland Press Herald about Sandy.
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