Martha Gilchrist Oster, aka Marge, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 16th at 12:24pm, surrounded by her devoted husband Lawrence, loving daughter Kate and son-in-law Jonah, of a thoracic aneurysm. Her son Miles was here in spirit, living too far away to overcome distance and sudden, unexpected events.

Born in Philadelphia on March 22 nd , 1945, Martha lived in the City of Brotherly Love with her parents Foy and Ruth, sister Galen and brother Jonathan for 37 years, when she met her husband, Lawrence, and moved to Sussex County,

New Jersey. There they raised Martha’s two young children, Miles and Kate, and began a marriage that lasted 43 years. During this time, Martha also decided to return to school, where she secured a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from

William Patterson College and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Yeshiva University. These efforts led to a career in social work. She was a fierce supporter and advocate for vulnerable populations, especially AIDS survivors

and adults with disabilities. Martha concluded her professional career offering individual and couples psychotherapy, retiring in 2015 for health reasons, at the age of 70.

After the kids were grown Martha and Lawrence followed a dream and moved to the Maine coast in 2001, where they secured an old farmhouse on 10 acres, eventually building a second dwelling more accommodating to aging bones and sore knees. With the ocean all around and a lifestyle in rhythm with the tides, they held each other and watched the sunsets over Penobscot Bay. Martha was passionate about art and infused her aesthetic in everything she

touched. She devoted her personal time to creating and collecting paintings in oils and watercolors, amassing an impressive gallery that filled the walls with color and movement. Her musical tastes ran to jazz and classical, Miles Davis

and Mozart, Coltrane and Vivaldi, and she was unchallenged in spirited rounds of Cards Against Humanity throughout her playing career, much to the chagrin of her opponents. Martha had an infectious laugh and a sharp wit that let

everyone know she was very much alive and up to life’s challenges. Her companion passion was flowers, and she grew them wherever the ground would allow. Bouquets in vases frequently competed for attention with the artwork

throughout her home.

The arc of a life well-lived can be compared to flying. At first, with engine turning and sights raised, we gain altitude- physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually. Through pockets of turbulence and skies so clear and bright it hurts the eyes our perspective broadens, we can see so much, and our hands grow sure and subtle on the controls. We almost forget that we are way, way up there. And at some point, in the undeniable ways of the cosmic parabola, often noticed but many times not, the engine throttles back, the prop is feathered, and life becomes a glide path; sometimes shallow, sometimes steeper, occasionally even catching a thermal, but always, always descending. Martha’s glide path was not a smooth one. Beset with overlapping health issues, saddled with chronic back pain and reduced mobility, surrendering her driver’s license (a big blow), she strove to keep hauling back on the stick- pull up, pull up, pull up… At

midday on June 16 th she touched back down to the earth. Martha will be missed by all who knew and loved her. Not least of all because she told us how she wanted to be remembered- her self-authored epitaph repeated often enough to not be forgotten in the shuffle: “Martha- she did all her own stunts”.

Condolences and memories can be shared on Martha's tribute wall.