Pine Island Power Couple: Spotlight on John and Marty Kendall
John and Marty Kendall met and fell in love at a party in Marshall, Michigan.
“We both had our practices,” said Marty. “He was a lawyer and I was a psychologist. We knew we wanted to retire to Florida and we knew we wanted warm weather, so we took a western route down the coast and found Pine Island.”
John recalls telling a friend one night at dinner that he and Marty wanted to retire early and find a new home in Florida.
“We didn’t want to be in southeast Florida,” said John, “and we really weren’t interested in condos, high rises or beaches … these are nice places to visit, but we didn’t want to live there. Somebody in the corner said, well, there’s only one place left, I said where’s that? He said, Pine Island.”
John had never heard of Pine Island, although he had vacationed on Sanibel. When they saw the house they still live in to this day, Marty said they were so taken with it they put an offer in for it the very next day.
“We literally arrived on Wednesday, saw our house on Thursday and bought it that Friday,” said John.
Before ever setting their sights on the island, Marty was a clinical psychologist with her own practice for 30 years. When they came to the island, she admits she had no idea what she wanted to do with her time.
“I’ve always liked art,” said Marty. “I took a number of my paintings to Wild Child Gallery and Peggy took a shot on me. I’ve been in her gallery now for 21 years. On top of that, I killed plants incessantly so I decided I would become a master gardener. I took classes and became president of the Garden Club.”
In addition to gardening, Marty became a master naturalist due to her love for animals, flora and nature in general and also became a docent at Randell Research Center, and wrote a book on ethno-botany for the University of Florida. Although the studies were quite in depth and time consuming, Marty said she’s very glad to have done this, as it has been very beneficial for the world in which she finds herself. The Calusa Land Trust, she says, is now the biggest passion in her heart.
“On the Land Trust, where I’m on the board,” said Marty, “I create all the signage on the preserves and the signage shows the maps of at least two of the preserves we have now and also the plants and what they’re used for. I wanted the walkways to be educational, especially for kids.”
John said it was his father who instilled a love for nature in him as a boy. Admittedly a tree hugger his whole life, John’s love for the outdoors began as a Boy Scout.
“The nice thing about the Calusa Land Trust,” said John, “is that you can immediately see the fruits of your efforts — even just in our work parties, you get done and you’ve planted something. In most cases it’s going to be there for your great-grandchildren.”
Besides all their work at the CLT, something the Kendalls have adventured together is the world of scuba diving, which John describes as a great family sport, because once you’re in the water, he says, size and gender become irrelevant.
“Instructors start as dive masters,” John explains. “The dive masters are trained to assist instructors and on their own to lead dive trips and also teach some classes. So I was an instructor and Marty was a dive master and we would lead a dive trip every year.”
To Marty, her husband is a tremendous asset to the island due to things about him, which come quite naturally.
“I respect his thinking immensely,” said Marty. “I think he’s logical. He comes to conclusions that are well thought out and land protective oriented … and he’s fun. Having a sense of humor on this island is really important. Together we have an inclusive energy. I think we bring that to the CLT, to the Garden Club and to Randell (Research Center). It’s motivating each other to take part.”
John says Marty is his soul mate and the two of them together create a team neither could be without the other.
“She is very artistically inclined,” said John. “Whatever benefit we offer the island, I could not do individually without her. What we accomplish most is that we’re a team in every way you can think of.”
For the Kendalls, the staying power of Pine Island is both their love for the rural small town feel and also not having been raised here.
“If you were brought up here and this was all you really knew,” said John, “you don’t appreciate how really unique and beautiful it is.”