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10 May 05 - Mary Appelhof
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-- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition
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Excerpted from an obituary in the 5/5/05 Kalamazoo (MI) Gazette, written by
Emily Walker:
"WORM WOMAN" LEAVES A LEGACY OF TEACHING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT
Groundbreaking vermicomposting educator Mary Appelhof, author of "Worms Eat
My Garbage" and known worldwide as the "worm woman," died May 3.
"She wanted to change the way the world thought about garbage," said Mary
Frances Fenton, Appelhof's partner of 27 years.
Appelhof, 68, a resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan, died just weeks after being
diagnosed with a cancer of the abdominal lining. Despite her declining
health, friend and business partner Nancy Essex said Appelhof so loved to
spread her knowledge, often of nature and biology, that she taught people as
long as she had breath. Essex worked with Appelhof at the publishing company
Flowerfield Enterprises in nearby Portage, MI, which Appelhof had owned for
more than 30 years.
Appelhof previously taught at Kalamazoo Central High School. After leaving
the teaching profession, she devoted a large part of her life to informing
others about vermicomposting, the method of using worms to convert household
garbage into nutrient-rich fertilizer for gardens and household plants.
Appelhof wrote several books about vermicomposting and also produced a video
called "Worm Mania." She traveled around the world to places like Russia,
Ireland, England and Australia to share her ideas about worm composting. In
2003, Appelhof organized a major vermicomposting seminar in Comstock, MI,
called "Vermillenium" that drew people from as far as Australia, Japan and
Italy.
Friends say Appelhof was an award-winning nature photographer, trained to be
an Olympic swimmer until she enrolled in Michigan State University (where
she earned two master's degrees) and had earned such recognition in
vermicomposting that a huge photo of her hung in the Smithsonian Institution
above a worm exhibit.
Sharon Roepke, Appelhof's friend and director of the Kalamazoo Gay/Lesbian
Resource Center, where Appelhof volunteered, said when she first met
Appelhof, she was struck by how motivated she was to discover knowledge that
would help the world. "She had a passionate interest in biology, and this
was her unique place in the world to make a contribution," Roepke said. "And
she made a tremendous contribution."
Appelhof was born June 11, 1936, in Detroit. Her father was a minister and
her mother was active in the church. She moved in the early 1970s to
Kalamazoo, where she had lived since.
Her funeral will be held in Beulah, MI. A memorial service will take place
sometime in the next month in Kalamazoo.
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