Karel
(Kitty) Weissberg
April 28, 1944 – January 6, 2009
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Gentle Activist for Peace and Justice
Karel
Marie Weissberg died quietly on Tuesday, January 6,
2009, after a short illness. She devoted
much of her life to peace and justice causes, on the local and national level
and, in her work as a massage therapist and Alexander Technique practitioner,
was a generous and valued member of the Mount Desert Island Maine healing
community.
Born in Boston on April 28, 1944, Karel
attended Radcliffe College and became a leading activist in the Civil Rights
Movement at Harvard. Her civil rights
work took her to Panola County, Mississippi, as well as Roxbury, Massachusetts. After graduating from Radcliffe in 1966, Karel began to fuse her dance, theater and organizational
skills in service of the Women's Liberation Movement. In 1970, these interests combined in Earth
Onion Women's Theatre Company, a Washington, DC-based collective organization,
of which she was a founding member. In
Earth Onion, she helped create performance pieces that were presented
throughout the Eastern U.S. Friendships
formed at this time sustained her for the rest of her life.
Karel
married Elliott Spiker in 1980, becoming stepmother
to JoJo Rice Spiker and
then mother to Sophia Rose Spiker. The family lived in the Washington DC area and spent many summer vacations in the town of West Tremont
on Mount Desert Island, Maine, and when the children were grown Karel and Elliot began to spend extended summers on MDI,
eventually leaving the DC area to move to West Tremont full time in 2003. Karel continued her work as a massage therapist in
Southwest Harbor, retiring in 2008.
Karel's
love of the outdoors--hiking, biking and kayaking -- was extended to interests
in the sustainable agriculture movement, organic gardening and wildlife
conservation. She participated in loon
monitoring as part of the Somes Meynell
Preserve program.
Karel
involved herself completely in the local peace, justice, human rights, health
and healing networks on the Mount Desert Island. She co-founded the Westside Peace Group and
Vigil, served on the Women's History Committee of the Southwest Harbor Library,
taught massage classes for parents of infants, supported arts activities for
children and adults, and facilitated Authentic Movement classes. She was a
founding member of Southwest Harbor's groups to study Non-Violent
Communication. Karel
was an avid knitter and, more recently, spinner. She often delivered a pair of
dramatically multi-colored, soft, warm socks to friends and acquaintances who were injured or ill.
Karel had a wide circle of friends and
colleagues for whom she was a creative, dedicated, and positive influence and
mentor.
Karel is
survived by her husband, Elliott Cedric Spiker, her
daughter, Sophia Rose Spiker, his son JoJo Rice Spiker and his wife Mia
Whang Spiker, and her
granddaughters Tyasia Rebecca Staton
and Portia Nah Re Whang Spiker.
There will be a memorial celebration of Karel's life and work on Saturday, January 31 at 2 PM, at
the West Tremont Pacific Hall, Rte 102, West Tremont,
Maine.
In lieu of flowers, Karel
requested that friends who wish may make contributions in her memory to the
Westside Food Pantry, PO Box 767, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679; Peace and Justice
Center of Eastern Maine, 170 Park Street, Bangor, ME 04401 and/or Heifer
International, 1 World Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72202