SCARBOROUGH, Maine (WMTW) – Karmo Sanders, the Maine actress widely recognized as “The Marden’s Lady,” has died peacefully at her Scarborough home at the age of 74, according to an obituary posted by Hobbs Funeral Home.
Sanders gained widespread popularity for her portrayal of the character Birdie googins in Marden’s commercials, a role that led to stand-up comedy performances as the beloved persona. Beyond her commercial work, Sanders enjoyed a prolific career in theater, appearing in productions across Maine, New Hampshire, and Kentucky.
Born Martha Lello in Norway, Sanders met her husband, jerry Sanders, while both were students in the drama department at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. The couple collaborated on numerous writing and theater projects, including the musicals “The Gold Rush Girls,” “Spellbound!” and the musical review “Radical Radio” with Steve Underwood, while raising their daughters, hanna and Jennywren, in southern Maine beginning in the mid-1970s.
Following jerry Sanders’ death in 2013, Karmo Sanders continued her creative pursuits, co-writing and acting in the short film “Face It,” which screened at the Vancouver and Sarasota film festivals in 2015. She also authored the comedy play “Homer Bound,” which remains in production throughout new England.
Sanders furthered her education,earning a master’s degree in creative writing from Boston University in 2001,and later shared her expertise as an adjunct professor of playwriting and acting at the University of Southern Maine starting in 2017.
She is survived by her daughters, siblings, grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Sanders was also the sister-in-law of the late Maine singer-songwriter David Mallett, who died in December 2024.
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