Karmo "Martha Lello" Sanders

Karmo Sanders died peacefully, at her home in Scarborough, Maine, on October 25, 2025.

Karmo (nee Martha Lello) was born in Norway, Maine, on January 31, 1951, the eldest daughter of Rev. Jellison and Mary N. Lello.

From an early age, Karmo was bound for the stage. She brought comedy, drama and a vibrant presence into every aspect of her life.

Karmo met her husband, Jerry Sanders, in the Drama Department at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. Together, they pursued writing and theater careers while raising their two daughters, Hanna and Jennywren, in southern Maine in the mid-1970s.

Karmo stormed the local theater scene in the 1980s and never looked back. She performed in countless productions in Maine, New Hampshire, and Kentucky.

In the early 1990s, Karmo and Jerry wrote and produced the high school musical "Spellbound!", which highlighted the teen-age struggles of acceptance and self-love. With their longtime collaborator Steve Underwood, Jerry and Karmo then wrote and produced the musical review "Radical Radio", which delighted young audiences across the eastern seaboard.

In 2001, Karmo earned her Masters Degree in Creative Writing from Boston University.

There, she continued writing and contributing to the Boston Theater Marathon under the tutelage of Kate Snodgrass.

During that time, she was also celebrated in the State of Maine as the television personality known as "The Mardens' Lady". Through that exposure, she began performing stand up comedy as the relatable and beloved character known as "Birdie Googins".

In 2014, Karmo was hired to be part of the Reality Television series "Yankee Jungle", which aired for two seasons on Discovery Channel's Animal Planet.

She co-wrote and acted in the short film "Face it" which previewed at both the Vancouver and Sarasota Film festivals in 2015.

In 2017, Karmo began teaching Playwrighting and Acting for Non-Majors as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine. Her experience mentoring young talent in the USM Department of Theater was a source of joy and motivation throughout the remainder of her life.

In 2018, her gut-busting, award winning comedy "Homer Bound" premiered at Good Theater thanks to the passionate production crafted by Sally Wood, Brian P. Allen and Steve Underwood. "Homer Bound" continues to be produced throughout New England.

In 2012, Karmo and Jerry's magnum opus, "The Gold Rush Girls", a lifelong labor of love, premiered at Cyrano's Theater in Anchorage, Alaska, to a six week sold-out run. Jerry, her life partner and creative collaborator, predeceased Karmo in 2013.

Throughout their lives, Karmo and Jerry continued to practice the teachings of Prem Rawat, and remain cherished within that community. Special thanks to Rita Rubin-Long and Steve Rosenblatt for their continued love and support.

Additional and heartfelt gratitude for those who have touched her life and ours so deeply: the remarkable Sanders clan, Dodge and Lael Morgan, Erik Whitton, Caroline Teschke, Adriaan van Stolk and Andraly Horn.

As a child, Karmo spent countless hours with her four siblings and beloved cousins at their family home in Scarborough, Maine. She continued to share laughs and create many memories with those she called family.

She will be lovingly remembered by her daughters, siblings, grandchildren, and the countless nieces and nephews for whom she created vibrant and lasting memories.

Karmo created community wherever she went, and touched many lives. Public visiting hours at the Hobbs Funeral Home on November 2, 2025 from 12-4pm at 230 Cottage Road in South Portland, Maine. In lieu of nothing, flowers and cash accepted. (If you know you know!)