Katharine Martin-Savage

Katharine Kimball (Grant) Martin-Savage, 80, of Wiscasset, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2023.   She was born on July 6, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts.   Katharine was raised in Lynnfield Center, Massachusetts where she graduated from Lynnfield High School.  She was a 1960 graduate of Katherine Gibbs Secretarial College in Boston.  Following graduation, she joined the Central Intelligence Agency as a secretary.  There she met her first husband, Gilbert William Martin Jr., a widower with one daughter.  They raised three children while living in Virginia, California, Germany and South Korea.  After many years of vacationing on Orr’s Island, they retired to Wiscasset in 1980 where Katharine remained following the death of Gilbert.  

Katharine truly found a home in Wiscasset where she worked for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office, and the State of Maine Office of Court Security. Over the last 43 years she served Wiscasset by giving her wisdom, time and energy in  many different capacities.  She showed her civic mindedness by serving two terms on the Wiscasset Board of Selectmen, several terms on the Town of Wiscasset Budget Committee, and the Wiscasset Community Center’s Cooper/Diperri Scholarship Committee.  Additionally, she spent many years representing Lincoln County on the Lincoln/Sagadahoc Jail Authority.  She was a member of the Wiscasset Chamber of Commerce and believed strongly in supporting local businesses. 

Giving back to the community was a large part of who Katharine was.  She was a longtime member of the Wiscasset Female Charitable Society where she also served for a period as directress.  Women helping women resonated soundly with Katharine and she found great satisfaction supporting women in Wiscasset through the WFCS.  Katharine was also a member of the Friends of the Wiscasset Public Library.  She was an avid reader, a strong advocate for children’s literacy and a proponent of the important role a public library plays in the community.   She will be long remembered for her generous hosting of the Friends’ ‘Bands for Books’ fundraising event at her Seafield Farm.   Her support for local law enforcement was personified by her establishment of the Heidi Memorial K-9 Fund to raise funds to help purchase K-9s for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office.  

Katharine remarried in 1982 to Lewis Emerson Savage and they spent 34 years together before his death in 2016.  They enjoyed traveling, gardening and their time on the farm together.  Katharine maintained friends across the United States whom she enjoyed visiting or hosting.  She never missed an opportunity to visit her children and grandchildren.  She befriended everyone she met and loved getting together with friends and family.  

Katharine is survived by her brother, Steven Grant; children, Stephanie Hergenroeder (Mark), Amy Martin (Aboubacar), Beth Martin (Martijn); and grandchildren, Katharine Nowak, Matthew Hergenroeder,  Djiba Martin-Camara, Mouminatou Martin-Camara, and Fatou Camara.  

A Celebration of Life is planned for 11:00am, on Monday, May 1st, 2023 at the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home in Damariscotta.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wiscasset Female Charitable Society (WFCS), PO Box 188 Wiscasset, Maine 04478 or the Friends of the Wiscasset  Public Library, 21 High Street, Wiscasset, ME 04578.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Strong-Hancock Funeral Home, 612 Main Street, Damariscotta, ME 04543.  Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting: www.StrongHancock.com.

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