01945 Winter 2022

Bringing life 

to death 

Margo Steiner and the art of obits 

WINTER 2022 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 4

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Fun & games for 30-year coach 

By Joey Barrett 

In the fall of 1992, when Lynnfield 

created a junior varsity team for its boys 

soccer program, Marblehead resident Brett 

Munroe had no idea what kind of legacy 

would follow – becoming the face of Lynnfield 

soccer for the next three decades. 

Munroe played the game at Marblehead 

High before suiting up for Franklin 

Pierce College a few years later. Once his 

collegiate tenure ended, Munroe continued 

to play in some adult leagues, and couldn’t 

quite shake his love for the game. 

“I liked soccer growing up. I’ve always 

liked it,” Munroe said. “To be honest with 

you, I love it.” 

Munroe has since coached the Pioneers 

for 30 years: eight with junior varsity; 22 

with varsity. Three decades is a long time to 

be working the same job, and to Munroe, it 

truly is a dream one. 

“I am still having fun. I still have a blast,” 

Munroe said. “It isn’t just about the season. 

I’m thinking about it all year long. I used to 

be able to play and be competitive at stuff, 

and now this is my competitive outlet and 

I love it.” 

With that many years, comes the same 

amount of rosters to coach. Munroe says 

the teams that are the most fun to coach 

Munroe is all smiles prior to a game earlier this fall. 

STAFF PHOTO: LIBBY O'NEILL 

are made up of players all pulling in the 

same direction, and for one another. 

“When you have a bunch of kids with 

a singular goal, whatever that may be, it 

might be to get in the tournament, it might 

be to win your league. If you’re all working 

towards it, it makes the season more enjoyable,” 

Munroe said. 

If you ask current Pioneer players, they’ll 

tell you – it’s a great mix of soccer and fun. 

“He [Munroe] makes you want to come 

out every single day, and you want to run 

through a wall for him,” Gentile said. “Just 

the fun that he adds to the game. It’s not 

all work, we have fun while we win.” 

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Gentile's statement about winning has 

certainly been backed up as Munroe has 

led Lynnfield to two state finals, six sectional 

finals, and the North championship 

six times – memories he says he’ll cherish 

forever. 

“I’m really proud of our team success 

overall,” Munroe said. “In high school 

sports, it’s not all about winning, but we’ve 

had a great run.” 

Another fond memory of his comes 

from the team’s 2019 tournament run when 

Lynnfield upset Watertown – a day that’s 

still reminisced about in the Lynnfield 

locker room. 

“That was a great day for us,” Munroe 

said. “I know some of our kids that are on 

our team now still remember that day.” 

When it comes to learning from those 

who have played exceptionally well, there’s 

plenty Munroe can share about the sport 

itself. He believes too many coaches think 

tactical play and analysis is the way to win 

games – and, from his perspective – it’s all 

about the basics. 

“I think the main thing is just time with 

the ball. The kids who are comfortable with 

the ball at their feet, and they have good 

foot skills, they can fit in a lot of different 

positions,” Munroe said. “It’s the best thing 

you can do.” 

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4 | 01945 

FROM THE PUBLISHER 

TED GRANT 

A publication of Essex Media Group 

PUBLISHER 

Edward M. Grant 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 

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DIRECTORS 

Edward L. Cahill 

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CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 

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CONTROLLER 

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EDITOR 

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WRITERS 

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Anthony Cammalleri 

Sylvia Chen 

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Charlie McKenna 

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Ryan Vermette 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

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ADVERTISING SALES 

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Ralph Mitchell 

Patricia Whalen 

DESIGN 

Emilia Sun 

INSIDE 

02 Career coach 

05 Bucknell's best 

06 What's up 

09 Monk-chief 

17 Arrangers 

20 Swan song 

24 Leaguers 

26 Last writer 

28 Sailer savior 

30 Senior service 

32 House Money 

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01945themagazine.com 

Marblehead 

monk-y business 

A purported fake monk and a real rabbi. 

A baseball Hall of Famer and a soccer player-turned-coach. 

A guy who crafted a 20-foot Egyptian cobra goddess and a woman who revels 

in death. 

A marine surveyor and gardeners. 

Welcome to the Winter edition of 01945. 

Let’s start with the maybe monk who is accused of being a true phony. 

Fraud. Greed. FBI raids. Arrests. 

It has all the makings of a Netflix crime drama, but the story you’ll read about 

Brian Andrew Bushell is anything but fiction. 

After pulling off perhaps the scam of the decade, the self-described monk 

has to answer to federal charges. Known around town as “Father Andrew,” he 

parlayed a small, quasi-religious business empire into a scheme to sidetrack 

millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds. He and his live-in attorney poured 

the money into lavish real-estate renovations, home furnishings, designer 

handbags and watches, expensive wine, private social clubs and more. 

So much for a vow of poverty. 

Pivoting to a true man of the cloth, Rabbi David J.Meyer’s long tenure 

leading Temple Emanu-El is coming to an end, but he is staying busy writing 

music and remaining a force in the congregation’s life. 

I love a good sports story, especially if it involves baseball. After demolishing 

school and league records for home runs in a season and career, Doug 

Shribman earned his spot as one of the best players Bucknell University has 

ever seen, and now he’s earned his spot in the school’s Hall of Fame. 

Former soccer player-turned-coach Brett Munroe could never quite shake his 

love of the game. He’s in his 30th year coaching in Lynnfield and is building 

quite a legacy through his abiding goal of giving players time with the ball. 

Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll learn more about the town’s garden and flower 

enthusiasts; discover the man behind the red trucks, who happens to be one 

of the most experienced marine surveyors in New England; and get some tips 

from obituary writer Margo Steiner. 

And if all that isn’t enough, find out what the League of Women Voters 

have been up to; and learn how Marblehead seniors are supporting efforts to 

minimize senior isolation. 

I don't need to con you into believing this is a great edition. 

COVER Your life — your way — as written by Margo Steiner. 

PHOTO by Spenser Hasak 

04 | 01945

WINTER 2022 | 5 

An out-of-the-park career 

By Ryan Vermette 

For as long as he can remember, Doug 

Shribman had always wanted to play on 

the diamond, but he couldn’t have anticipated 

becoming one of the best hitters that 

Bucknell University has ever seen. Now 

a 2022 Bucknell Hall of Fame Inductee, 

Shribman takes a look back on his incredible 

career in Lewisburg. 

Shribman was born and raised in Marblehead 

and grew up in a baseball family, 

so it was only natural that he found himself 

playing ball at Gatchell’s field. After 

attending a few Red Sox games and watching 

baseball on television, it grew apparent 

that this was something that Shribman was 

becoming passionate about. 

“Once I kind of figured out I was pretty 

decent at it, I wanted to play as long as I 

possibly could,” Shribman said. “That’s sort 

of what led me to want to play in college.” 

Shribman’s standout performances on 

the baseball team at Belmont Hill got 

him on the Division One radar. Bucknell 

decided that they wanted to give him a 

chance. Standing out to the college was 

his dual-threat ability as both a hitter and 

a pitcher, so they decided to recruit him. 

When he arrived at school, he wasn’t sure 

if he would be focusing more on throwing 

or hitting. 

With the team already having a solid 

first baseman, Bucknell had him focus on 

pitching his freshman year, though he still 

took batting practice. After some pieces 

had moved around the following season 

however, a spot in the lineup opened up. 

“As it turned out, the senior graduated, 

another kid transferred, and first base was 

kind of there for the taking. I was a better 

hitter than I was a pitcher at that point, It 

just sort of made sense that I took over that 

slot,” he said. 

After finding his way into the starting 

lineup in his sophomore year, Shribman 

made the most of his opportunity. 

Throughout his career at Bucknell, Shribman 

crushed multiple school and league 

records highlighted by his 21 home run 

season in 2010. 

That number was both a Bucknell and 

Patriot league record and his 43 career 

home runs smashed both records as well. 

He broke the team’s records of career total 

bases (385) and doubles (45). Perhaps 

the most impressive part about his career 

statistics is the fact that it was all done in 

three years, with Shribman only registering 

five at bats as a freshman. 

The Bucknell hall of famer had 153 

runs, which ranks second in team history, 

Doug Shribman made a career out of hitting home runs which earned him a spot in the Bucknell Hall of Fame. 

and holds a top ten batting average at the 

school with an all-time mark of .347. 

Shribman talked about the success that 

he had while at Bucknell, especially his 

junior year where he smashed the single 

season home run record. 

“Our offense was stacked from top to 

bottom,” he said. “We were this power 

hitting force and I was just sort of in the 

middle of it.” 

Shribman’s incredible junior year was 

capped off by an MVP run in the Patriot 

League playoffs. In just six games, the 

power-hitter tallied seven homers, 16 runs 

batted in, and 10 runs scored to go with a 

red hot .423 batting average and a slugging 

percentage of 1.308. 

He helped the team beat Army on the 

road to advance to the conference championship 

against Holy Cross, where one of 

Shribman’s best moments as a player happened. 

In the deciding game 3, the Bisons 

trailed 7-6 in the seventh inning with two 

runners on base. 

Shribman was up to bat and had already 

knocked two shots out of the park earlier. 

Putting the team on his back, Shribman 

connected on a ball that sailed over the 

fence for his third, and second three-run 

homer on the day to put Bucknell up 10-6. 

The team went on to win the game 12-7 

and received an auto bid for the NCAA 

tourney. Shribman recalled the magical ride 

that his team went on. 

“We went to Army and beat them in the 

first round, and the second weekend, we 

had to go again on the road to beat them 

(Holy Cross),” he said. “I was basically as 

hot as I’ve ever been as a hitter, so it was 

just one of those weekends where every ball 

was hit hard. The go ahead home run, the 

pitcher threw a ball that caught too much 

of the plate and I got a good piece of it and 

took it out to center.” 

Shribman’s legendary career will live 

on forever as he is now enshrined in the 

Bucknell Hall of Fame and will go down as 

one of the best hitters not only in Bucknell 

baseball history, but in the Patriot League 

as well.

06 | 01945 06 | 01945 

WHAT'S UP 

Get your ginger on 

What: Decorate a gingerbread house and 

embrace the holiday spirit. Decorated 

houses may be submitted courtesy of 

the Parks & Recreation Department to 

the Marblehead Family Fund's annual 

gingerbread festival, Dec. 2-4 at the 

Jeremiah Lee Mansion. 

Where: Community Center dining room, 

10 Humphrey St. Visit marblehead.org/ 

recreation for more information. 

When: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 3:15-5:30 p.m. 

Get ready, set — Christmas 

Walk! 

What: Join the Marblehead Chamber of 

Commerce for the 51st annual Christmas 

Walk complete with tree lighting, Santa's 

arrival by lobster boat, a parade, music and 

artisans markets. 

Where: Visit marbleheadchamber.org/ 

events for details. 

When: Thursday, Dec. 1 - Sunday, Dec. 4 

Keep someone warm 

What: Marblehead Civic Ballet and the 

North Shore School of Ballet are collecting 

winter coats and children's pajamas 

for cleaning by Anton's Cleaners and 

distribution through Coats for Kids and 

Families. 

Where: Donations may be dropped off at 

the dance studio, 115 Pleasant St. 

When: Coats and pajamas accepted 

through Saturday, Dec. 10. Call 781 631 6262 

to schedule a drop. 

Grab your greasepaint 

What: Marblehead Little Theatre sponsors 

auditions for "Tuck Everlasting," a childhood 

adventure production. 

Where: Little Theatre, 12 School St. 

Visit www.mltlive.com/audition for more 

information. 

When: Monday, Dec. 12, Tuesday, Dec. 

13, 7-9 p.m. Callbacks are Dec. 16 and 

rehearsals begin January 3 for February and 

March shows. 

Kids only 

What: There are lots of fun activities to do 

during the after school holiday kids club for 

kindergarteners through fifth graders. 

Where: Community Center gymnasium, 10 

Humphrey St. 

When: Monday, Dec. 19, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 3-4:30 p.m.

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The FBI executes a search warrant at 124 Pleasant St., following the arrest of Brian Andrew Bushell, 47, and Tracey M.A. Stockton, 64, who allegedly submitted fraudulent 

applications for CARES Act funding amounting to $3.6 million. 

STAFF PHOTO: SPENSER HASAK 

Beer, salt, and federal charges 

By Charlie McKenna 

The alleged fraud perpetrated by 

Brian Andrew Bushell, the Marblehead 

man who presented himself as an 

Orthodox Christian monk and operated 

a number of organizations in town, 

began almost as soon as COVID-19 

relief funds became available, according 

to an affidavit filed in federal court. 

The affidavit alleges Bushell and 

his attorney, Tracey M.A. Stockton, 

defrauded the federal government of 

more than $3.6 million, in part by repeatedly 

submitting Economic Injury 

Disaster Loan applications for the 

businesses Bushell created and then 

controlled, and requesting more funds 

when the Small Business Administration 

upped the maximum they could 

receive via said loans. 

In a day highlighted by their arrests 

and an FBI raid on Bushell's properties, 

Bushell and Stockton faced 

charges on Oct. 13 of conspiracy to 

commit wire fraud and unlawful monetary 

transactions. 

If convicted of both charges, Bushell 

and Stockton could face up to 30 years 

in prison, as the charge of conspiracy 

to commit wire fraud carries a 

maximum sentence of 20 years and 

the charge of conspiracy to commit 

unlawful monetary transactions carries 

a maximum sentence of 10 years in 

prison. 

As a result of the allegedly fraudulent 

applications, Bushell and Stockton 

were able to receive $3.5 million in 

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 

Security (CARES) Act funds and 

an additional $146,608 in Paycheck 

Protection Program (PPP) funds. 

They allegedly overstated the operational 

expenses of the organizations 

Bushell controlled in order to receive 

inflated Economic Injury Disaster 

Loans (EIDL), which they then used 

FRAUD, continued on page 10


Tracey M.A. Stockton, left, and Brian Andrew Bushell, right, walk with Attorney Daniel Cloherty after their arraignment in US Federal Court in Boston on charges of wire 

fraud and unlawful monetary transactions. 

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FRAUD, continued from page 9 

to fund a lavish lifestyle, U.S. Attorney 

Rachael S. Rollins’s office said in a 

statement. 

Bushell controlled St. Paul’s Foundation; 

a “monastic house” known as 

Shrine of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, 

Patron of Sailors, Brewers 

& Repentant Thieves; a purported 

residence for clergy known as the 

Annunciation House; Marblehead 

Brewing Co., a monastic brewery; and 

Marblehead Salt Co., a craft saltern. 

Stockton served as general counsel 

and authorized representative of these 

organizations. 

St. Nicholas, Marblehead Brewing, 

and Marblehead Salt are all located 

at 124 Pleasant St. The Annunciation 

House, where Bushell and Stockton 

lived together, is located at 22 Endicott 

Ave. 

Both were released with conditions, 

after posting a $10,000 bond, at their 

arraignment in Federal Court in Boston. 

Neither entered a plea. 

The pair were ordered to report to


probation, surrender their passports, 

not apply for any loans without the 

approval of the court, not register 

or facilitate the registration of any 

businesses without the approval of the 

court, not encumber any real estate 

without the approval of the court, and 

report any contact with law enforcement 

within 24 hours. 

Bushell, a dual citizen of the U.S. 

and Greece, was also ordered not to 

obtain any other travel documents 

while the case is pending. 

"Brazen, criminal behavior" 

“We allege that these two individuals 

engaged in brazen, criminal 

behavior that took advantage of our 

government’s efforts to rescue organizations 

— both for-profit and 

nonprofit — by assisting with specific, 

legitimate expenses during the 

pandemic,” said Rollins in a statement. 

“Pandemic relief funds are not ‘free 

money’ – they are a lifeline designed to 

help business owners and non-profit 

leaders experiencing real economic 

hardship . . . Hard-working people 

deserve these funds.” 

In the affidavit, Chad Oakes, an FBI 

agent who investigated Bushell and 

Stockton, wrote that “Bushell claimed 

that he was an Orthodox Christian 

monk and that he had trained 

at a monastery on Mount Athos in 

Greece” but, Oakes said, investigators 

were unable to confirm either of those 

statements. 

When CARES Act funds became 

available in April 2020, Bushell and 

Stockton allegedly began a conspiracy 

that continued until August 2022, 

Oakes said. 

The conspiracy consisted of the pair 

allegedly conspiring to “obtain EIDL 

and PPP funds by submitting fraudulent 

applications and to use those 

funds for personal and/or non-permitted 

purposes,” Oakes wrote. 

Between April 2020 and June 

2022, Bushell and Stockton allegedly 

submitted loan applications, supporting 

documentation, and, with respect 

to EIDLs, loan increase requests to 

the Small Business Association and 

to Payment Protection Plan lenders, 

including Marblehead Bank and 

Greylock Credit Union, according to 

What is Mount Athos? 

Brian Andrew Bushell says he 

became a monk when he visited the 

Vatopedi Monestary at Mount Athos 

in Greece in December 2010. 

While there is a mountain called 

Mount Athos (6,700 feet high), the 

term refers more broadly to a peninsula 

in northeastern Greece that juts about 

31 miles into the Aegean Sea. The 

region is governed by a group of monasteries 

called the Athonite Community 

and operates autonomously from the 

rest of Greece, with the consent of the 

European Union. The non-religious 

aspects of the region are managed by a 

governor appointed by the Ecumenical 

Patriarch of Constantinople. That 

patriarch is currently Bartholomew 

I, who is recognized as the greatest 

among equals in the Eastern Orthodox 

religion. 

There are about 20 monastic 

communities on the peninsula which 

has been home to Christian religious 

communities for more than 1,200 

years. These communities have a variety 

of practices and traditions, but most 

live an ascetic life – characterized by 

abstinence and contemplation. Woman 

are banned from the mountainside and 

the areas controlled by the monasteries 

and are subject a year imprisonment for 

trespassing. The area is currently home 

to an estimated 2,000 monks. 

Bushell has stated that he became a 

monk at the declaration of an Abbot 

of the Vatopedi Monastery and that he 

was a member of that Athos community 

until August 2017. An FBI search 

of his travel history confirmed his December 

2010 visit but indicated that he 

“…spent little extended time outside of 

the United States following that trip.” 

The Vatopedi community is not 

without its own controversy. Author 

Michael Lewis (Moneyball, Liar’s 

Poker, etc.), identified some questionable 

real estate dealings between senior 

Greek officials and the leadership of 

the monastery. Several Abbots were 

embroiled in criminal investigations 

from 2008 through 2015, but ultimately 

none of the leadership was convicted. 

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165 Pleasant St., Marblehead, MA 


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the affidavit. 

“On these applications, [Bushell 

and Stockton] consistently misrepresented 

the organizations’ revenues and 

operational and payroll expenses with 

the sole purpose of obtaining higher 

loan amounts. [Bushell and Stockton] 

also falsified financial statements and 

other supporting documents in order 

to secure these loans,” Oakes wrote. 

Marblehead Bank declined to 

comment on the loans they made to 

Bushell’s entities. 

Each time the federal government 

increased the maximum amount that 

could be received through EIDLs, 

Bushell and Stockton allegedly refiled 

applications stating higher and higher 

operating costs in order to receive 

greater funding. In many cases, this 

involved restating and increasing the 

same costs previously reported, according 

to the affidavit. 

Upon receiving the funds, Bushell 

and Stockton allegedly moved money 

between their various entities and 

bank accounts and fabricated checks 

in order to make it appear as though 

they had payroll expenses that would 

qualify them for PPP loan forgiveness. 

In the documents filed for the 

applications, and in correspondence 

with PPP lenders, Bushell and Stockton 

allegedly inflated the number of 

employees and the amount of payroll 

expenses that each borrowing organization 

had. 

“For instance, with respect to several 

applications, it is alleged that Bushell 

and Stockton listed, as employees, at 

least eight individuals who were never 

employed by any of Bushell’s organizations,” 

the statement said. These 

included a general contractor, subcontractors, 

a freelance iconographer, 

and a photographer. The FBI asserts 

that no employment taxes were ever 

paid, nor was workman’s compensation 

insurance ever purchased for these 

“employees.” 

According to the affidavit, the total 

expenses across all organizational bank 

accounts controlled by Bushell and 

Stockton in 2019 was approximately 

$313,000, a small fraction of the total 



Adjacent building acquired 

by Bushell during the 

alleged conspiracy. 

Orthodox Christian Shrine of St. Nicholas/Marblehead 

Salt Co./Marblehead Brewing Co. 

Egypt House (property 

purchased by Bushell in 

June 2022) 

Annunciation House 

(Bushell and Stockton's 

shared residence) 

Monk sued town in 2019, claiming 

'religious land use' violation 

© 2022 Mapbox © OpenStreetMap 


Map based on Longitude (generated) and Latitude (generated). 

The Marblehead resident at the center 

of an ongoing Federal fraud investigation 

is no stranger to controversy, having 

filed suit against the town for an alleged 

“religious land use” violation in 2019. 

That suit was filed in Federal Court, 

and a judge sided with the town and 

Building Commissioner Richard 

Baldacci over St. Paul’s Foundation, an 

organization controlled by Bushell that 

oversaw all of his religious and economic 

endeavors. Earlier this year, the Court of 

Appeals affirmed the lower court’s ruling. 

At issue in the suit was efforts to renovate 

the interior of 124 Pleasant St., the 

property purchased by Bushell in 2017 

that houses St. Nicholas, Marblehead 

Brewing Co, and Marblehead Salt Co. 

Baldacci issued a building permit in 2018 

permitting Bushell to go ahead with 

renovations to the property to create a 

space to brew beer, a chapel for religious 

services and activities, and a fellowship 

hall to hold religious programming. 

Baldacci informed Bushell that the 

property would have to be reclassified in 

order to serve food or drink and to hold 

religious services. In the fall of 2018, 

Baldacci issued three letters to St. Paul’s 

warning of noncompliance with state 

building codes, including “uncompleted 

and unauthorized work as required by 

the code, and for occupying the space 

and serving beer to the public prior to an 

inspection and without a proper certificate 

of occupancy.” 

In November 2018, Baldacci issued a 

building code violation for the conduct 

cited in his letters. St. Paul’s appealed 

the violation to the state Building Code 

Appeals Board (BCAB), which affirmed 

Baldacci’s actions in February 2019. 

“In its decision, the BCAB noted that 

Baldacci was justified in enforcing the 

building code to ensure the public’s safety 

and that a finding in favor of St. Paul’s 

would “compromise life safety in ways 

that would conflict with [Massachusetts 

law],” the judgment in the suit reads. 

Around the same time, St. Paul’s 

relationship with Siemasko & Verbridge, 

the architectural firm hired to complete 

the renovation, began to deteriorate after 

a disagreement on the work needed to be 

completed to achieve certain occupancy 

levels. S & V informed the town in 

December 2018 that it was no longer 

working with Bushell and St. Paul’s. 

As a result, on Jan. 16, 2019, Baldacci 

suspended the building permit issued 

by the town because the renovation no 

longer had a registered architect. Architect 

Ryan McShera took over the project 

in February of that year and submitted 

a code review to Baldacci in May that 

indicated that previous use designations 

made by S&V were “incorrect.” 

McShera and Baldacci were unable to 

agree on the designations of the property, 

and Baldacci informed McShera that 

the town would not reinstate the permit 

unless McShera amended the proposed 

designations for the property. 

St. Paul’s again appealed the decision, 

and the BCAB again sided with Baldacci. 

As a result, St. Paul’s agreed to follow 

the original renovation plans and the 

BCAB ordered the permit be reinstated. 

The town did so in September 2019, 

and in December of that year issued a 

temporary use and occupancy permit 

to St. Paul’s, but required that it refrain 

from serving beer to the public until 

renovations were completed and a plan 

submitted to the health department was 

approved. 

The court was “not persuaded that the 

town’s revocation of the permit amounts 

to implementation of land use regulations” 

and found that “St. Paul’s has not 

alleged sufficient facts to suggest that the 

town functionally utilized its building 

permit process, or the interim code 

review imposed by Baldacci, to make its 

zoning decisions or that the process was 

disingenuously used to limit or prohibit 

St. Paul’s from using the property as 

intended.” 

“St. Paul’s has not established that the 

town’s conditional refusal to reinstate 

the permit was arbitrary and capricious. 

Without that showing, and since 

RLUIPA “does not mean that any land 

use restriction on a religious organization 

imposes a substantial burden,” St. Paul’s 

has failed to show on the undisputed 

record that the town’s actions violate 

RLUIPA,” Judge Denise J. Casper wrote.



operating costs they reported on applications 

and increase requests for each 

of St. Paul’s and St. Nicholas. 

Those expenses allegedly included 

cash withdrawals and “items that 

appear to be personal expenses, such 

as travel and dining, pet care, personal 

medical care, grocery store purchases, 

subscription services, and the condominium 

fee for a property Bushell 

maintained in Washington, D.C.” 

Oakes wrote that in reviewing the 

three bank accounts for St. Paul’s active 

in 2019, the organization had, “at 

most, approximately $248,000 in paid 

expenditures for the year, in contrast 

to the approximately $747,000 that 

Bushell claimed.” 

“On the application, Bushell 

provided the following description of 

St. Paul’s secular social services: ‘We 

provide food, medicine, educational 

assistance and job and career counseling.’ 

However, I did not observe any 

expenses corresponding to these categories 

in St. Paul’s financial records,” 

the affidavit reads. 

The affidavit goes on to describe a 

similar pattern for each EIDL application 

submitted by Bushell — allegedly 

claiming inflated operating costs in 

order to garner the largest loan possible 

and resubmitting applications with 

new expense totals when the program 

maximums were increased. 

Funding a lavish lifestyle 

Bushell and Stockton allegedly used 

the COVID relief funds to pursue an 

expensive lifestyle, spending over $1 

million of the CARES Act funds for 

extensive renovations to two Marblehead 

properties they planned to 

develop into a monastic complex that 

they hoped would feature a chapel, 

brewery, and beer garden. The pair also 

allegedly spent approximately $90,000 

in audio-video system equipment and 

nearly $40,000 on antique furniture. 

The pair also allegedly used the 

funds to buy a new residential property 

abutting their home and various 

fixtures, furnishings, and equipment 

for their properties. Bushell, who 

claimed he had taken a vow of poverty, 

allegedly used the funds to buy a nearly 

$7,000 Goyard designer handbag for 

Stockton, $2,400 on items from Hermès, 

spent nearly $92,000 to join two 

private social clubs in New York, and 

acquired various other luxury goods, 

the statement said. 

In June 2022, Bushell purchased a 

single family home at 12 Conant St. in 

the name of “Egypt House,” purportedly 

a religious non-profit corporation 

registered in the District of Columbia. 

After purchasing the property for over 

$800,000 Bushell allegedly attempted 

to use it to get another loan. 

“We believe they clearly knew that 

what they were doing was wrong, 

but they did it anyway, spending tens 

of thousands of dollars on exclusive 

memberships, expensive wine, property, 

renovations, and even a $40,000 wristwatch,” 

said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, 

special agent in charge of the Federal 

Bureau of Investigation, Boston 

Division, in a statement. “Their alleged 

greed is an affront to every hard-working 

taxpayer, and during these challenging 

times where scammers are 

doing everything they can to defraud 

people of their hard-earned money, 

the FBI is doing everything we can to 

make sure they don’t succeed.” 

At 124 Pleasant St., the site of Marblehead 

Brewing Co., roughly eight to 

10 FBI agents could be seen removing 

items from the building on the day of 

the arrest. Two black unmarked cars 

were parked outside the property, and a 

large box truck sat in the driveway. 

Donna Murphy, 67, who lives nearby 

the brewery, described Bushell as a 

“bully.” Murphy said she saw FBI 

agents in the area around 6:45 a.m. 

that morning. 

“He’s really a bully,” she said. “I’m 

smiling.” 

Bushell submits 

Paycheck Protection 

Plan Loan application 

to Marblehead 

Bank; receives 

$41,665 loan for St. 

Paul’s. 

Small Business 

Administration approves 

$150,000 loan 

for St. Paul's 

SBA increases 

maximum EIDL 

from $150,000 to 

$500,000 

May 26, 

2011 

April 

2020 

April 1, 

2020 

June 4, 

2020 

January 

2021 

April 6, 

2021 

Bushell registers St. 

Paul's with the Delaware 

Department of 

State 


Economic Injury Disaster 

Loan application 



“second draw” 

PPP application to 

Marblehead Bank; 

receives $41,667 

loan for St. Paul’s 

B 

c 

E


Bushell and Stockton 

could be working on plea 


At a virtual hearing on Nov. 

3, Brian Andrew Bushell, the 

purported orthodox monk who 

allegedly defrauded the federal 

government of millions, and his 

attorney, Tracey M.A. Stockton, 

waived their rights to a preliminary 

hearing to determine 

probable cause. 

Bushell and Stockton remain 

free on bond as they await 

trial on charges of conspiracy 

to commit wire fraud and 

unlawful monetary transactions. 

Court documents suggest 

though that progress on a plea 

deal is already being made. 

On Oct. 25, Judge Patti B. 

Saris filed an order in U.S. 

District Court in Massachusetts 

granting a joint motion by 

attorneys representing Bushell 

and Stockton as well as the 

government to extend the date 

on which an indictment must 

be filed to Dec. 12. 

“The parties are engaged in 

preliminary discussions regarding 

the possible resolution of 

this matter, which might result 

in a plea and obviate the need 

for an indictment, and the 

requested continuance of the 

time in which an indictment or 

information must be filed will 

provide the parties an opportunity 

to engage in possible 

plea negotiations before the 

government is required to seek 

an indictment,” the order reads. 

No other progress on the 

case has been reported in court 

documents since the Nov. 3 

hearing. 

SBA approves EIDL 

increase for St. Paul's 

to $500,000 

Bushell requests another 

EIDL increase 

Bushell and his 

attorney, Tracey M.A. 

Stockton, are taken 

into federal custody 

and charged with 

conspiracy to commit 

wire fraud and 

unlawful monetary 

transactions. 

April 24, 

2021 

July 6, 

2021 

Sept. 8, 

2021 

Sept. 11, 

2021 

Nov. 16, 

2021 

Oct. 13, 

2022 

ushell requests inrease 


IDL 

SBA increases maximum 

EIDL from 

$500,000 to $2 

million 

SBA approves EIDL 

increase to $2 

million


Bushell's bold plan for Swampscott 


Brian Andrew Bushell first attracted 

local attention with a bold 2016 plan to 

purchase Marian Court in Swampscott 

to create a monastery and brewery then 

abandoned those plans in the face of 

local opposition. 

Bushell sought to purchase the property 

from The Sisters of Mercy, who had 

owned it since 1954 and operated it as 

Marian Court College before running 

into financial difficulties in 2015. At 

one point, the Marblehead man had 

an agreement in place to purchase the 

property for $4 million, but didn’t close 

on the deal after town officials expressed 

opposition to his plans. 

Officials, including then-Director of 

Community Development Peter Kane, 

told Bushell it was their belief that zoning 

bylaws did not allow for a brewery in 

the residential district where the former 

college is located. Bushell said his offer 

to purchase the property hinged on his 

ability to operate a small monastic brewery 

and cider house on the site. 

“I would like to clarify that the only 

way we’re going to proceed with the purchase 

of the property is with a brewery,” 

Bushell told the Board of Selectmen in 

December 2016. “That’s not any doubt in 

our mind … It’s our understanding that 

we do this by right. It’s our understanding 

that any religious organization has 

the right to support itself.” 

Shortly thereafter, in January 2017, 

Bushell withdrew plans to purchase 

Marian Court. By August, he had purchased 

the property at 124 Pleasant St. 

that later became the home of St. Nicholas 

and Marblehead Brewing Co. Bushell 

purchased that property for $833,000. 

Bushell told The Daily Item in 2017 

that the Pleasant Street property is not 

as large and well-integrated as Marian 

Court, which would have allowed the 

monks more space for uses such as holding 

retreats. 

“This is a much smaller property, but 

it fits our needs,” he said. “We’ll probably 

buy a second property in Marblehead 

when the community expands, but 

this allows us to start now. If we had 

proceeded with the purchase of Marian 

Court, we would have had to fight the 

town in court, (which) could have taken 

years. We have no doubt we would have 

won, but it would have delayed things.” 

The Marian Court property, which 

once acted as President Calvin 

Coolidge’s Summer White House, was 

sold in 2017 for $2.75 million to CC 

White Court LLC, an entity of Centercorp 

Retail Properties. 

The property, now known as White 

Court, has since been converted into 

condominiums, with 20 luxury units 

divided among the three buildings on the 

six-acre property. 

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Brian Andrew Bushell sought to purchase Marian Court College from The Sisters of Mercy in 2016 before the deal fell through in early 2017. 

STAFF FILE PHOTO 

71

Part of the Arrangers of Marblehead, from left, Becky 

Parry, assistant treasurer, Donna Porter, member at 

large, Pam Oppelt, recording secretary, Nancy DiLisio 

president, and Nancy Donaldson, treasurer. 

STAFF PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK 

An enduring arrangement 

A fall floral arrangement created in a hollowed-out 

pumpkin by The Arrangers Marblehead.

By Sylvia Chen 

The Arrangers of Marblehead was 

organized in 1933 by a group of women 

who liked to entertain and decorate 

their homes. The ladies decided to start 

a garden club to learn how to make 

floral arrangements. The club was 

federated in 1937. Next year they are 

celebrating their 90th anniversary. 

The Arrangers of Marblehead counts 

themselves among five garden clubs in 

Marblehead, and emphasize floral design, 

with regular meetings focused on 

horticulture and environmental subjects. 

Since they have a master flower judge 

as an active member, they invite other 

garden clubs to their public events. 

“The thing that I really enjoy about 

the Arrangers is just that — ‘arranging!’” 

said club member Pat Adams. 

The club members are also members 

of the National Garden Club in the 

New England Region and The Garden 

Club Federation of Massachusetts in 

Northeastern District. 

The object of the club is “to study and 

create artistic arrangements of floral and 

decorative materials, and to promote 

interest in horticulture, conservation 

and allied activities through education, 

preservation and community service." 

Adams said she has learned a lot 

about placement of flowers and how 

to match flower colors with vases or 

containers, using different styles such as 

a mass arrangement or a line arrangement. 

The company of members and 

the social events are core values of the 

club that she appreciates. 

“My greatest times with the Arrangers 

were the workshops, making Christmas 

wreaths, centerpieces, boxwood 

trees and swags,” added Arrangers 

member Elaine Greer. 

Beyond the joy the club brings to 

its members, it gives much happiness 

to the community. The Arrangers of 

Marblehead maintained the Abbot 

Hall gardens for many years. The club 

also preserves a memorial garden at 

the Marblehead Council on Aging. 

Members have participated in decorating 

King Hooper Mansion for the 

Christmas Walk and many do floral 

arrangements for the Lee Mansion. 

Each year, the Arrangers award a 

financial scholarship to a deserving 

Marblehead High School graduate who 

will be pursuing a degree in horticulture 

or environmental studies. 

For more than 15 years, at least 20 

high school seniors benefited from the 

scholarship. It is a $500 scholarship, 

and a committee of three arrangers will 

decide who is the best candidate to get 

the award. 

Arrangers have created and held a 

"Holiday Greens" sale at the Council 

on Aging along with gift boutiques or 

member-donated items which supports 

their scholarship fund and yearly 

donations to local charities. Prior to the 

pandemic, the club had several garage 

sales to generate funds. 

Every year the arrangers will contribute 

to three charities, the Garden Club 

scholarship, Healing Abuse Working 

for Change (HAWC) and My Brother’s 

Table. 

“We collect for charity around 

Christmas time. With the money, we 

take the first $500 right out of the 

collection and we split the rest between 

the two charities, HAWC and My 

Brother's Table,” said club treasurer 

Nancy Donaldson. 

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The rabbi 

turns a page 

Rabbi David Meyer will step down as senior 

rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead 

on July 1. 

STAFF PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK


By Anthony Cammalleri 

Senior Rabbi David J. Meyer has seen 

a lot of change from the vantage point 

standing at the front of Temple Emanu-El's 

Marblehead congregation. 

Sweeping changes in the kinds of music 

his synagogue performs to the temple’s 

recent renovations to a modern style are 

counterbalanced by faith, community, and 

tradition remaining as the leading forces 

guiding Emanu-El's work. 

In July, Meyer will step down as senior 

rabbi and walk away from a more than 

30-year post as a community pillar. It will 

not be easy, and he will stay involved in 

the community as Rabbi Emeritus. 

“I'm not leaving the community. I'll 

stay in the community but make room 

for some new energy and some new ideas 

to come in over the next couple of years,” 

Meyer said. “ I've been the model for how 

to be a senior ally of Temple Emanu-El 

for more than 30 years, and there's other 

ways to do it. I'm anxious to see how 

someone else will do it, and hopefully, for 

another long time.” 

Meyer said the selection of his successor 

will come after the synagogue has 

completed its five-year aesthetic and security 

renovation project, which preceded 

a near 20-year period of infrastructure 

improvements. 

In Meyer’s office, decorated in a 

mid-century modern style that Meyer described 

as “Jetsons’ furniture,” he said that 

he had not yet finished putting his touch 

on the new office, since he knows he will 

soon pass it on to someone else. 

“The last thing to be done with my 

office here is to bring in new furniture. 

[We] painted the walls, new carpet, I 

didn't even put all my stuff back up on 

the walls yet, because I figured in eight 

months, I'll be going to a different office, 

so it’ll have a fresh look for my successors,” 

Meyer said. 

Paralleling the structural renovations 

the synagogue underwent in recent years 

is a complete transformation of the temple’s 

funding model. 

Under Meyer’s guidance the synagogue 

made a shift from “dues"-based financing, 

in which all members make fixed 

monthly donations, to what he called the 

“community model,” in which community 

members pay what they can. 

“We wanted to remove any obstacle. 

I mean, here in town, some say, ‘Rabbi, I 

belong to two yacht clubs and the synagogue, 

here's what the synagogue is worth 

to me, take it or leave it.’ Under dues or a 

fair share, what it might have been called, 

it’s not right. You know, that doesn't fit 

the whole community model,” Meyer said. 

“Under our system, we say ‘thank you.’ 

If someone has an elderly parent, they're 

supporting two kids in college, or they’ve 

had a financial turn for the worse that 

they don't want to make public, whatever 

the reason, we tell people, ‘here's what it 

costs to run the synagogue, per family, 

simple math, budget divided by members. 

You tell us what you're able to do to 

support the temple.’ ” 

In discussion of the temple’s best and 

worst moments since 1992, Meyer mentioned 

the 9/11 attacks in 2001 as being 

one of the darkest days he had seen as a 

religious leader, one that challenged him 

to try to bring the community together. 

“My mind immediately goes to 

September 11, 2001. America was under 

attack, and the leaders of our faith, 

TEMPLE, continued on page 22 

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TEMPLE, continued from page 21 

community, myself and colleagues from 

that time, brought the town together that 

same evening, for prayer and to rally for 

solidarity, and that attack happened just 

two days before the Jewish new year. It 

was, for all of America, a very, very dark 

day and period, but being in a position to 

bring solidarity, comfort, hope, healing to 

a broken community was very gratifying,” 

Meyer said. 

Meyer also brought up the ongoing 

presence of anti-semetic and racist 

incidents directed toward Marblehead’s 

Jewish community, which he described 

as being painful, but, still, an opportunity 

for the community to come together and 

heal. 

“There have been and continue to be 

antisemitic and racist incidents in the 

community, which, as a rabbi, and as part 

of a ministerial association, calls for our 

response. It's incredibly painful and it 

continues to grow. But being in a position 

to offer direction, resolve, maybe some 

healing to the community, again, it's very 

gratifying,” he said. 

The sanctuary pulpit at Temple 

Emanu-El sits below massive sheets of 

blue stained glass, built by Swampscott 

artist Ingrid Pichler, which faces a droplet-shaped 

room with wavy pews. The 

room’s blue stained glass Ner Tamid, or 

eternal lamp, hangs above the sanctuary 

resembling a water droplet. 

“We designed it so that everything here 

in the sanctuary evokes water. Geographically, 

we’re a block from the ocean and so 

it's certainly appropriate for Marblehead’s 

synagogue, but also spiritually, because 

water is the primordial source of life,” 

Meyer said. “The light in front is called 

a Ner Tamid, a perpetual lamp every 

synagogue you go into would have one 

and it resembles a droplet of water. What 

I wanted to do with the artist here was 

to recall a concept in Jewish life that the 

spirit of of a human being can be likened 

to a droplet of water which comes from 

all over the place to its source, which is 

the ocean, hence the spirit of the human 

being returning to its divine source.” 

A mandolin and small amplifier also 

sit on the pulpit. Meyer, who plays guitar, 

and spent his summers working as a jewish 

song leader as a teenager, emphasizes 

music in all of his sermons and records 

Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead. 

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Stained glass casts colors across the Ark at Temple Emanu-El.


folk music regularly with community 

members. 

“Jewish worship has always included 

music and song, going back as far as 

biblical days. And there's a beautiful line 

in the Scripture, ‘serve God with joy and 

come before God with singing,’ and that's 

what we tried to do, especially over the 

last decade, plus ramping up the music. 

And for me, re-embracing my own 

musical inclinations and skill set has been 

a wonderful way to transform in a joyful 

way here,” Meyer said. 

Most recently, he premiered his newest 

song, “A Song About Shoes,” on WERS 

FM radio. The song, Meyer said, follows a 

Jewish folk tale of a man from Chelm, an 

imaginary city full of fools who all believe 

they are wise men. 

Meyer said that he considered music a 

“mysterious” force that can connect people 

with each other and with their memories. 

“It's always easier to sing with someone 

else than to sing by yourself,” Meyer said. 

“There have been occasions when I've 

gone to a hospital or hospice, a nursing 

home with people who are essentially non 

communicative, but if I start singing some 

of the familiar melodies from their youth, 

it's like a key that reopens their cognition, 

their memories and their identity. It's a 

pretty stunning experience to be part of, 

and it is mysterious. I don't know. I just 

know that it works. I just know that it’s 

true.” 

Many of the babies Meyer named 

when he first came to Temple Emanu-El 

are now getting married, he said. When 

asked what his proudest achievement 

was in 31 years as lead rabbi, Meyer said 

that he takes pride in his family of two 

boys, Jeremy and Cory, alongside his wife, 

Marla, who, he said, played crucial roles in 

the community during Meyers’ decades as 

a religious leader. 

“It would be serving the congregation 

in the broader community while raising 

a beautiful family. I'm extremely proud of 

my family, my kids, the relationship I have 

with my wife, Marla and with all of the 

demands on my time, energy, attention, 

creativity, and heart. The fact that we've 

done it as a family in a lot of ways is 

something I'm very proud of,” Meyer said.

11/1/22, 9:23 AM MAGAZINE AD.jpg 

A league of their own 

Members of the League 

of Women Voters of 

Marblehead, front 

row from left; Shari 

Pressman, Marta 

Bach, Alexa Singer, 

and Tom Krueger; 

second row from left; 

Judy Gates, Bonnie 

Grenier, Lee Mondale, 

Kathy Breslin, Polly 

Whitmore, and Mimi 

Hollister; and third row 

from left; Don Gardner, 

Kathy Leonardson, 

Nancy Powell, and Phil 

Blaisdell, gather in 

front of the Old Town 

House. 

STAFF PHOTO: 

SPENSER HASAK 

By Allysha Dunnigan 

The Marblehead Chapter of the 

League of Women Voters began in the 

1900s and has been growing ever since. 

With 61 active members, the group is 

made up of men — yes, men — and 

women from Marblehead, and some from 

Salem and Swampscott, who are passionate 

about volunteering their time to 

inform the public on political issues and 

encouraging others to make changes in 

the community. 

The Marblehead League is one of more 

than 800 state and local leagues operating 

in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 

the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong. 

The history of the League of Women 

Voters dates back to the 1920s when it 

was formed in Chicago after women 

secured the right to vote. As a nonpartisan 

political organization, the goal of the 

Marblehead League of Women Voters is 

to encourage informed and active participation 

in government, work to increase 

understanding of major public policy 

issues, and influence public policy through 

education and advocacy. 

The local organization focuses on a 

variety of issues, reaching their positions 

on these topics through studies and a 

consensus vote. 

"Our emphasis in this league is on local 

issues," said member Marta Bach. "We 

also participate in studies at a state level 

and a national level. Sometimes we'll do 

a topic that is suggested by national, and 

they supply research and we do research. 

We will publicly support issues on which 

we have reached a consensus, but we will 

not support candidates." 

The League works on a variety of political 

issues and topics, hosting events and 

informational forums on things including 

questions on the ballot, the environment, 

social issues, how the government should 

be structured, gun safety, racial justice, and 

LGBTQ. 

"For me, personally, I think it's so much 

easier to effectuate change on the local 

level," said member Bonnie Grenier. "You 

can decide on an issue area that's important 

to you and just grab it by the horns 

and go with it and get other people to go 

on board with you." 

The group made a motion during 

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/KtbxLvhVgrWdkFFcLqnBPGBkfpbsfWCkDB?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1 1/1


a Town Meeting last year to change 

language in the town's general bylaws so 

that the order of candidates listed on the 

ballot is determined by random drawing 

of names by the town clerk for each race. 

This amendment has made its way to 

state Sen. Brendan Crighton and is still 

pending action. 

Another effort made by the League 

is the Observer Corp, where members 

volunteer to attend a variety of committee 

meetings in the town to observe, take 

notes, and write them up to be sent to 

Marblehead news outlets. 

This is one of the many ways the 

League helps inform the public on 

important issues in the community and 

encourage them to get involved, which 

member Shari Pressman said is one of 

their goals. 

"Our primary goal is to inform registered 

voters and inform voters and inform 

citizens of what's going on in the government 

and how to get involved," Pressman 

said. "We take positional political 

positions, and we do lobby, at all levels of 

the government, on positions that we've 

come to very carefully." 

In Marblehead, some of the members 

have been a part of the League since the 

1970s, while others are newer, joining 

within the last few years. 

Since the pandemic, League members 

said they have seen an increase in interest 

of local government, as Zoom meetings 

made it easier for people to get involved 

and easier for League members to educate 

the public. 

In addition to educating people on 

local political topics, the League also 

helps register first-time voters, assists with 

managing the polls during elections and 

counts ballots. 

"We're looked at as a resource for 

the town," said League Treasurer Tom 

Krueger. 

Through their close work with voters, 

member Kathy Leonardson said her goal 

is to empower these voters and defend 

democracy. 

"We treat democracy as a verb so that 

we defend it by doing it, which means 

voting, getting other people to vote, get 

people involved and not feeling helpless 

like they can't do anything," Leonardson 

said. "I got involved personally because I 

was interested in the educational aspect 

of learning about something I didn't 

know. That's also part of having a healthy 

democracy, knowing what information 

you can trust." 

Every election year, the League hosts 

an event where they invite the candidates 

to answer questions and talk about why 

they are running. This has become a popular 

event during election season in the 

town, with first-time candidates reaching 

out about it to the League and the local 

television station streaming it. 

While the League does a lot of work 

on politics and elections, it isn't their only 

focus. 

In regards to the environment, the 

League helps highlight and continue 

efforts the town is already undergoing, 

including flood management in the 

harbor, building community gardens, and 

improving bike paths. 

"We want to just elevate some of the 

things that are starting to happen on a 

greater scale to elevate the environment 

and are important for the conversation 

about the future and the community's 

health," League member Polly Whitmore 

said. 

In addition to collaborating with 

the town on environmental efforts, the 

League is also working with Sustainable 

Marblehead to put more focus on efforts 

to help climate change within the town. 

"I just feel like we should elevate the 

community in our activism and what we 

can do and are doing for the community 

and the environment," said Whitmore. 

Another issue that the group focuses 

on is racial justice. Member Cathy Marie 

Michael said they formed a book club 

about five years ago dedicated to reading 

a wide selection of books on social and 

racial justice issues. 

"This is an issue in this country. We 

informed ourselves and tried to inform 

the rest of the town (during a peace 

seminar) on what was discovered from the 

books that we read," Michael said. "To 

come to recognize, completely and totally, 

I'll speak for myself, the white privilege 

that I grew up with that I was not really 

that aware of until the Trump era — I 

could really see it reading these books. I 

could see how much I did not know, never 

knew, and was learning and became aware 

of." 

The League also hosts another book 

club where members bring in an article 

relating to a local or national issue that 

they are interested in and discuss it with 

the group. 

"It started as a desire to have an exercise 

in civility and civil discourse about 

things that can be pretentious," member 

Katharine Redmond said. 

Another major topic for the League 

is gun safety. After the 2018 shooting at 

Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, 

FL, the League formed a gun safety 

group where they read about national 

and international protocols on guns. They 

informed themselves on the different laws 

in states across the country and how they 

differ from gun laws in Massachusetts. 

"Various issues came up and various 

information came up," Krueger said. 

The group then met with representatives 

from Mass General Hospital 

including surgeons, pediatricians, and 

those working in emergency rooms, all 

people who see and work with victims of 

gun violence. 

They discussed how important it is to 

have stricter gun laws in places where the 

laws are lenient and what they can do to 

try to decrease gun violence. 

"On a national level, we need to advocate," 

Krueger said. 

One of the goals of this group is to 

remind people on how to properly and 

safely use guns to reduce any accidental 

gun-related incidents. 

While the League focuses on bringing 

light to important political and controversial 

topics, members said it also introduced 

them to good friends and opened 

their minds. 

"It's a great community venture," 

Redmond said. 

Joining the league requires a $60 fee, 

but you do not need any prior experience 

or interest in politics. Current league 

members said you just need to be a "good 

citizen" and want to be a part of change. 

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Bringing 

life to 

death 

Margo Steiner teaches an obituary 

writing workshop. 

STAFF PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK


By Alexandra Rodriguez 

Margo Steiner was surprised to find an 

unusual number of students attending one 

of her recent webinars she held at a Peabody 

Library with a final count of 89 students 

attending one session. After all, the subject 

was, to put it simply, death. 

Steiner started her first workshop in 

the spring of 2020, completing fourteen 

obituary writing workshops to date. Her 

workshops are held via Zoom with a limit of 

ten students and in-person as high as 25. 

What's the interest in her class? 

“People are getting more comfortable 

about talking about death. It used to be that 

people were afraid of death and then I think, 

in 2004 there was a Swiss sociologist who 

started what he calls a death café, where 

people would come very casually and maybe 

they have refreshments at somebody’s house, 

or a church basement and they would come 

together and would talk about anything they 

wanted to, to do with death,” she said. 

Steiner joined a Death Café in Peabody 

and recalls the questions to be very interesting. 

At the Café, one of the members spoke 

about COVID-19 and his trouble understanding 

the six million deaths that resulted 

from the pandemic. 

Another member spoke about her mother’s 

end-of-life wishes being of no obituary, 

funeral, or memorial services but the daughters 

wanted to remember her. According 

to Steiner, the Death Café is a place where 

people can dispel the fear of death and talk 

out their anxieties or questions. 

Steiner majored in Botany and Art History 

at Connecticut College for Women and 

worked for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden 

in New York and the Arnold Arboretum of 

Harvard University. 

She eventually got involved in working 

for universities in the alumni offices and 

event planning when in 1988, Steiner was 

offered a job at a university in Germany as 

a director of public relations and alumni 

relations. 

Following two years in Germany, she got 

a job as an editor of a travel magazine based 

in Germany where every month, she had 

to take a trip for two weeks somewhere in 

Europe and then go back to her work base 

and write the story. 

“I went everywhere. Wherever you can 

dream of to go. Before Thanksgiving, I said, 

I will write to the Ritz Hotel cooking school 

and finally, maybe I will learn how to make 

gravy, but they weren’t making gravy, they 

were making frog legs that week,” Steiner 

giggled. 

Eventually, Steiner decided to come back 

home and work in marketing but her love 

for writing shifted her career path into 

freelance editing and eventually teaching a 

memoir course at the Marblehead Council 

on Aging. 

“One day, two friends that I know well, 

asked me if I would consider teaching an 

obituary writing workshop. It was right out 

here, said Steiner, (as we speak and drink a 

cup of coffee at a table in the Blue Canoe). 

"It was so funny because I have thought 

of that, but I figured nobody would take it, 

but I said to them if you can get me a few 

friends I’ll host one,” added Steiner. 

Steiner went on to create an obituary 

website that consists of two sessions. During 

the first session, Steiner talks about obituaries 

and how they came about, how much 

they cost and how to write one. She encourages 

her workshop participants to celebrate 

and personalize the life of the deceased. 

On Thanksgiving, Steiner told her 

students to meet with whoever came to 

Thanksgiving dinner and ask the guest to 

give them five words to describe them, the 

student. “Sometimes you don’t think of 

yourself the way other people see of you,” 

said Steiner. 

“Then I told them to do a draft, an obituary 

based on that and other things and we 

critique them the next week and it was just 

so much fun!” added Steiner. 

Steiner tells her students when they write 

an obituary, write everything they want and 

then edit it, put it aside, and edit it. “I remember 

the movie 'A River Runs Through 

It,' this guy was a newspaper editor and his 

son had to write an essay for school and he 

came to his father and said, “could you look 

over my essay,” the father said, this is very 

good. Now go and cut it in half. The kid 

comes back, and father says this is getting 

better and better, now cut it in half again. 

He said, “you can always pair things down 

without losing the sense of it.” 

“I always tell people too, to share it 

with family and let them know where the 

obituary is so that they can find it when 

they need it and pick a day of the year, your 

birthday, or every January 1st take it out 

and edit it. Update it, maybe you want to 

eliminate something or add something,” 

added Steiner. 

According to Steiner, the worst time 

to write an obituary for someone in your 

family is when they die because you are so 

grief-stricken. 

“It’s hard to write an obituary when you’re 

in grief. Sometimes the funeral home would 

write it for you, but they get things wrong 

sometimes. So, it’s always good to have one 

ahead of time,” she said. 

Surprisingly, Steiner doesn’t like anything 

to do with death. She doesn’t like attending 

funerals and she hasn’t written her own 

obituary but enjoys teaching how to write 

obituaries and the concept that obituaries 

can bring people closer and can help in a 

way to awaken people’s life and make different 

life choices changing how they want to 

be remembered. 

“There’s an apocryphal story about Alfred 

Nobel, you know the Nobel Peace prize 

winner. They say it’s not true, but it makes 

for a good story. He invented dynamite and 

he was in London once, he was reading the 

newspaper, and he made headlines. Alfred 

Nobel merchants of death dies. He was 

shocked! He wasn’t dead. It turns out, they 

meant his brother. They got the wrong one 

but when he saw that, he said, 'that’s how 

I’m going to be remembered, the merchant 

of death.' After that he changed things 

around and he founded the novel awards 

and chemistry and medicine and literature 

and peace and now when he died it was the 

novel philanthropist dies,” said Steiner. 

In some cases, when family members' 

death isn’t positive, due to a drug overdose 

or a suicide Steiner believes people are 

more open to mentioning those details in 

obituaries as well. 

“If you look at obituaries you see more 

and more people telling the real story 

because it educated people because so and 

so died on such day after a long battle with 

addiction or alcoholism. At the bottom it 

might say, please make a donation at…,” 

said Steiner. 

Steiner believes that telling the truth in 

obituaries serves as a way to educate people 

and that they are not alone when one of 

their family members has died of addiction. 

On the contrary, obituaries can be funny and 

share a sense of humor in the way a family 

member wants to be remembered. 

According to Steiner, obituaries started 

in the 19th century, with a death announcement 

in the newspaper, when so many men 

particularly died in the civil war. “It was very 

simple. Ordinary people didn’t get obituaries 

at all,” said Steiner. 

In the 1930s and 1940s, obituaries became 

longer but were mostly about famous 

people that died. As time went on more 

and more people wanted to be remembered, 

“The New York Times obituary writers, oh 

my God, I wish I had that job. They write 

obituaries about famous people, and they 

keep them and update them from year to 

year until the person passes away,” said 

Steiner. 

“But more and more now, regular people 

are getting obituaries. When you have an 

obituary it gives you the opportunity, if 

you’re writing it yourself or if your family 

member is writing it, to really talk about 

that person. Who they were and what they 

meant to people. It's more personal,” said 

Steiner. 

To know more, sign up, or get on the list 

to attend one of Steiner's obituary workshops 

you may email Steiner directly at 

margo.steiner@verizon.net.

A master at work 

Commercial Vessel 

Examiner Robert 

Scanlan stands with 

his custom-built van 

that stores marine 

professional radio 

electronic equipment. 

STAFF PHOTOS: 

LIBBY O'NEILL 

By Anthony Cammalleri 

Robert Scanlan's 52 years working with 

boats encompasses his career title, Master 

Marine Surveyor. 

In Scanlan’s driveway sit two red trucks, 

both kept immaculately clean, showing not 

even a speck of dirt on the tires, and both 

showed Scanlan’s name and company, “R.T. 

Scanlan, United States Marine Surveyor '' 

printed in gold paint on the side. 

Within Scanlan’s office, tucked in the 

back of his basement, sit dozens, if not 

hundreds of model ships. Scanlan took one 

off of his desk, explaining that it was a PT 

boat, similar to one’s he’s inspected before. 

He then pointed through one of many 

lines of model boats, explaining that that 

particular collection contained every kind 

of amphibious assault vehicle from World 

War II until Desert Storm. “This is my 

vice,” he said. 

Scanlan, who turned 70 in January, said 

that he began working with boats at the 

age of 14, when he got a job working at the 

Bass Point marina in Nahant. Scanlan said 

that he made a lot of money working at the 

boat yard, enough to buy himself a car, and 

enough to realize that his time was better 

spent working with boats than playing 

football at Lynn Classical High School. 

“ I went to Lynn Classical High School, 

but I was in a khaki uniform, (that read) 

‘Bass Point Marina, Rob’ and, Jesus, the 

phys ed coach, football coach, the gym 

coach on look at me, ‘Oh, we got some 

football beef,’ (I said) ‘hold, hold it. I’ve 

got a new car, I’ve got a car payment. I got 

a job. I'm not giving that up to chase a 

pigskin, it's not going to happen,’ ” Scanlan 

said. 

After graduating from a college prep 

course in 1970, Scanlan went on to 

spend two years attending Massachusetts 

Maritime Academy, spending nights at 

law enforcement training sessions in Lynn 

English High School. 

“That's when I realized, ‘I'm making 

more money than the Chief of Police in 

Nahant with my business Maritime Yacht 

Consults, selling and installing marine 

equipment and electronics,” he said. 

In the mid-1980s, after a few people 

asked Scanlan to look at their boats, he 

decided to become a 

Marine Surveyor. Scanlan flew down 

to Fort Myers, Florida to take his marine 

surveyor exams, and opened his practice 

inspecting boats and yachts as soon as he 

returned to New England. 

In his first few years in business, Scanlan 

struggled to make ends meet, sometimes, 

he said, he had to get creative to cut basic 

utilities from his budget. 

“It was tough those first few years and I 

remember there was the gas stove and the 

gas hot water heater. I made a decision to 

shut the gas off. I took two electric blankets 

and wrapped them around the hot water 

heater because we had electricity. The 

heating was electric and that's what I did 

for six seven months to look good and pick 

the business up,” Scanlan said. 

In his early days as a surveyor, Scanlan 

would also drive hundreds of miles to meet 

with clients. He said that he once drove 

six hours to Montauk, New York, only to 

turn down the assignment. Another time, 

Scanlan drove 24 hours to Nova Scotia, 

Canada to survey a boat. Scanlan, who 

wakes up at 5 a.m. every morning and does 

not sleep until he turns in his last survey 

report of the night, said that he gets his 

disciplined work ethic from his father, who 

he said spent 41 years of his life servicing 

ships after he left the Navy. 

“I'll come down and work in the office 

until around 8:30 p.m. and then turn in 

and then be up maybe three or four in the 

morning to get the report done. Our clients 

don't want to hear that you had a family 

member passed away. They don't want to


Coast Gaurd Commerical Vessel Safety 

Inspection card. 

hear that you’re sick. They want the job 

done and they want the report done. No 

excuses,” Scanlan said. 

When Scanlan’s father died, Scanlan 

was inspecting a ship in Marblehead. He 

said that his father, who was passing away, 

encouraged him to stay and finish the job. 

“My father called me, he said ‘Robbie, 

whatcha got going on today’ I said ‘Dad, 

I’ve got this yacht I have to do out of Marblehead.’ 

Dad was starting to pass away, 

and he says ‘Robbie, you get that [expletive] 

job done.” 

Scanlan, who also works as an elected 

constable for the Massachusetts Bay Constable 

Association. He said that the job, 

which often involves issuing eviction notices 

and divorce papers, is difficult for him, 

but that he gets through it by adhering to 

respect and discipline. 

“These two folks go into a divorce and I 

have to serve the other party when they're 

going to appear in court. I just had to serve 

eight families in Nahant eviction notices. I 

do it in uniform, the discipline, the badge, 

‘Yes, sir. No, sir,’ he said. 

Scanlan said that between his third party 

work for the U.S. Coast Guard, his work 

as a State Police marine inspector, and 

his constable position, his wife, Victoria, 

jokes that he will one day wear the wrong 

uniform to work. 

“In my closet, you’ve got my Marine 

Surveying uniforms. You’ve got my Coast 

Guard uniforms, You’ve got my constable 

uniforms. As of four years ago I'm the 

only licensed marine investigator to the 

Massachusetts State Police here at noon, 

I get those uniforms. So Victoria says to 

me, ‘Sweetheart, what happens if you put 

a uniform on, you get to the assignment, 

and you’ve got the wrong uniform on?’ ” 

Scanlan said. 

Scanlan said that he will work on ships 

and yachts until he physically can not 

anymore. He said that discipline, and 

unwavering respect and professionalism 

toward his clients are what set him aside 

from the competition. 

“ There are 168.2 hours in a seven day 

week cap. I haven’t got time to address 

your bull[expletive]. That's how you get out 

of it. I can't judge people. Oh my God, my 

clients. I don't care who they sleep with, 

where they come from, or what their religion 

is, as long as they don't hurt anybody 

or talk down about me,” Scanlan said. “I’ll 

answer a call at 3:30 a.m. if I can [...] It’s 

the excitement, the excitement of business, 

the excitement of what I do,” he said. 

Leaving Scanlan’s driveway, he pointed 

to his two red signatured trucks, proud of 

the fact that through regular washing, he’s 

maintained their clean, polished exterior. 

“They’re always clean,” he said. “My 

language might be filthy, but my trucks are 

always clean.” 

Marblehead Pediatrics is pleased to 

announce that Amanda Bowers, M.D. 

has joined our practice 

Doctor of Medicine, 

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, NJ 

Residency at Tufts Medical Center 

Board Certified in Pediatrics by the 

American Board of Pediatrics 

70 Atlantic Ave, 

Marblehead, MA 01945 

781-631-7800 

For more information or to schedule appointments, 

call our office at 781-631-7800. 

Please visit our website at Marbleheadpediatrics.com

Seaglass 

serves 

seniors 

From left, Seaglass 

Village President 

Heidi Whear, volunteer 

Lauren Shaw, events 

committee and board 

of directors member 

Linda Garber, member 

Bobbie Cohen, and 

Executive Director 

Alyce Deveau gather 

in the group's 

meeting space at First 

Congregational Church 

in Swampscott. 

STAFF PHOTO: 

SPENSER HASAK 


Neighbors helping neighbors. That 

statement gets at the heart of what Seaglass 

Village, a non-profit organization with 

members in Swampscott, Nahant, and 

Marblehead, aims to do. 

Founded in 2021, Seaglass Village is 

part of a broader community of villages 

throughout the commonwealth and the 

nation. The aim of the non-profit is simple: 

to help seniors remain in their homes 

by allowing them to access a network of 

volunteers, primarily other retired people, 

who can assist them with things like 

moving furniture around the house, getting 

rides to and from doctor’s appointments, or 

even changing the batteries inside a smoke 

alarm. 

“We all want to be in our own homes. 

We don't want to go to nursing homes or 

assisted livings,” explains Seaglass Village 

President Heidi Whear. “The overall general 

view is that it's about people getting to 

know each other, connecting, making new 

friends, addressing issues like isolation … 

and we've exceeded all expectations and it's 

very, very exciting.” 

Village founding member Bobbie 

Cohen says she chose to stop driving due 

to physical disabilities, and not wanting to 

rely on her children, she opted to use Uber 

as her primary mode of transportation. 

But, the unreliability of the service began 

to frustrate her, so when the opportunity to 

join Seaglass Village arose, Cohen says she 

lept at the chance to be the village’s first 

member. 

“Seaglass has given me my life back,” 

Cohen explains. “All I can say is it's the 

best thing that ever happened to me, I 

love meeting all the volunteers. They are so 

intelligent and kind.” 

Village members are roughly evenly split 

between Swampscott and Marblehead now, 

and the events programmed for members 

recently included a trip to Fort Sewall. 

Attendance at activities has gone “way up” 

in recent months, explains events committee 

and board of directors member Linda 

Garber. 

“We can give them some socialization 

and they don’t have to stick home. We can 

give them a ride to the activities. … Anytime 

you go to an event, [you can] always 

go up to new people say ‘hi, I'm so and so, 

who are you? What's your story? Where 

are you from?’ and people immediately feel 

welcome,” Garber says, explaining that 

she feels she is a “prime example” of the 

benefits of joining Seaglass. “I moved here 

five years ago. I retired and I didn't know 

anyone … and I was knocking on neighbor's 

houses introduce myself … and since 

[joining the village] I have such a wide circle 

of really good friends. My kids tease me 

because I have such an active social life. It's 

just been wonderful to be a senior and be 

able to meet people … this is a really truly 

wonderful organization. I'm a big fan.” 

“Isolation was one of the biggest 

problems of seniors and because of Linda 

they’re not isolated anymore,” added Executive 

Director Alyce Deveau, who served as 

Swampscott’s library director for decades 

before retiring last winter. 

The connections made between members 

at evens are a focus for the village’s board 

going forward, Whear said, as those bonds 

can lead to requests being fulfilled and 

provide seniors with new connections later 

in life. 

The village’s offices are currently set up 

in the First Church of Swampscott, though 

Seaglass is non-denominational. Membership 

currently costs $360 on an annual 

basis (“a dollar a day,” Deveau explains). 

As it continues to grow, Seaglass needs 

more volunteers, Deveau says, particularly 

considering the volume of requests for 

transportation put in by members. 

“We'd like to have more volunteers to 

balance out but right now, we're answering 

all the requests that we get. We've been 

really fortunate,” Deveau says. 

Requests have to be submitted before 

10 a.m. the day prior to the event, Deveau 

explains, and the majority of requests the 

village hasn’t been able to fulfill have been 

those for home health aides, a service 

Seaglass does not provide. Even odd-ball 

requests like burying a cat have been 

honored.

Nick knows the 

North Shore! 

Get in touch with me to 

simplify your home buying 

or selling journey. 

Nick Cowden 


nick.cowden@compass.com 

781.307.2726 

. . . and Christine 

taught Nick 

everything he knows! 

Get in touch with me to 

simplify your home buying 

or selling journey. 

Christine Cowden 


christine.cowden@compass.com 

617.429.8877 

Nick Cowden is a real estate broker affiliated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws.


HOUSE MONEY 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARK DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHY


15 Spray Ave. 

SALE PRICE: $4,850,000 

SALE DATE: October 3, 2022 

LIST PRICE: $4,499,000 

TIME ON MARKET: 

34 days to closing 

LISTING BROKER: 

Dick McKinley with Sagan Harborside 

Sotheby's International Realty 

SELLING BROKER: 

Merry Fox Team with 

Merry Fox Realty 

LATEST ASSESSED 

VALUE: $3,330,700 

PROPERTY TAXES: $29,638 

YEAR BUILT: Rebuilt 2012 

LAST SALE PRICE: 

$4,300,000 (2021) 

LOT SIZE: 

.39 acres (16,982 sq. ft.) 

LIVING AREA: 7,175 sq. ft. 

ROOMS: 15 

BEDROOMS: 6 

BATHROOMS: 5.5+ 

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

A spectacular oceanfront home high 

on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic. 

Completely renovated with designer 

finishes including an open concept 

kitchen/dining/living room featuring 

270-degree ocean views with direct 

access to a spacious deck with a 

wood burning fireplace overlooking 

a rocky beach. Four inside fireplaces 

and hardwood floors throughout. 

Six bedrooms including a stunning 

primary suite with a spa-like 

bathroom. Private home theater with 

seating for seven. 

Source: MLS Property Information Network.

Design. Build. Maintain. 

Landscape | Hardscape| Irrigation 

Maintenance | Lighting 

56 Sanderson Avenue | Lynn, MA | 

781.581.3489 | www.LeahyLandscaping.com

Celebrate the 

Holidays with 

Willis + Tierney! 

Scan code to follow 

our journey and stay 

up to date with the 

real estate market. 

Bill 

Willis 

Christine 

Tierney 

Tim 

Knauer 

“As a lifelong resident I am proud to call 

Marblehead home. It was a special place to raise 

our children and I enjoy having them come back 

here and settle into life with their own families. I 

look forward to watching the next generation make 

their own traditions in Marblehead.” 

“Nothing is better than living in a quaint, seaside 

village to me - especially during the holidays! 

Traditions run deep for the Tierney family and since 

our arrival to town 12 years ago, I enjoy taking part 

in the Christmas Walk, dining at 5 Corners Kitchen 

before the tree lighting. My very favorite treat is 

walking through the streets of Old Town after a 

fresh layer of snow has fallen - which is even more 

magical at night with the holiday lights!” 

“The North Shore is a special place to be during 

the holidays. I love taking the kids to see Santa 

and Mrs. Claus arrive by lobster boat to kick off 

the Christmas Walk, sidling up to the bar at the 

Barnacle or Landing to watch the snowfall over the 

harbor. We enjoy hosting our annual catered holiday 

party for all of our local friends! I also support 

the Care Dimensions tree lighting remembrance 

held annually at Swampscott Town Hall.” 

Willis + Tierney 

— 

617.549.8956 

willisandtierney@compass.com 

willisandtierney.com 

@willisandtierney 

“This year, I am excited to be a part of The 

Merry Mixers and spread holiday cheer to 

help fund pediatric services at Salem Hospital 

- a cause close to my heart as my twins 

were in the Salem Special Care Nursery over 

the Holidays last year. We collect toys and 

supplies for the children in the hospital over 

the season— it’s a wonderful way to help the 

children in our community. Look for the toy and 

supply drive box at our Compass office on 46 

Atlantic Ave.” To donate to The Merry Mixers or 

learn more please visit: merrymixers.org/donate 

“I love cooking with my mom during the holiday 

season. We are always trying the latest recipes 

from NYT Cooking! The enitre family gets outside 

for long post-dinner walks to admire the holiday 

decorations and take in the ocean views. I 

volunteer at the Marblehead Animal Shelter and 

it is always nice this time of year to make sure 

our furry friends are getting some extra love.” 

Lindsey 

Walker 

Emily 

Pitkin 

compass.com 

Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to 

errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property 

already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

Your skin is your 

most valuable asset... 

PRESERVE IT. 

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! 

Independently owned practice 

offering the latest in: 

MEDICAL — SURGICAL + COSMETIC TREATMET

A real estate 

experience that’s 

more than just a 

transaction. 

You can count on us to be your trusted 

guide throughout and after your sale. 

We’ll ensure that you feel protected and 

supported from the moment we connect, 

and continue to feel our value as a 

resource for all your home needs and 

questions. Here’s how we will provide you 

a better search or sell experience. 

Personalized real-time data. 

We’ll pair our know-how with market 

metrics to help you achieve your home 

goals. You can go beyond standard home 

market metrics with a neighborhood 

evaluation that is specific to you. 

Insight-driven decision making. 

For sellers, our powerful valuation tool 

informed by live market data, will ensure 

you set your list price with confidence to 

sell fast and for a maximum value. 

Customization and collaboration. 

For buyers, we can curate a Collection 

based on your home buying needs and 

wants, bringing together a set of homes in 

a visual workspace picked just for you. 

Contact us to get a custom market 

report and evaluation today! 

Debra Papadinoff 

REALTOR® 

M: 781.486.4434 

debra.papadinoff@compass.com 

Scan Me 

Compass is a licensed real estate broker, licensed to do business as Compass RE in 

Delaware, Idaho, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, Compass Realty Group in Kansas 

and Missouri, Compass South Carolina, LLC in South Carolina, and Compass Real Estate in 

Washington, DC., Idaho and Wyoming and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws.

01945 Winter 2022

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