On Sunday, mourners gathered at the Steep Falls Baptist Church to say goodbye to Dolores “Dolly” Lymburner a community and state activist who championed environmental causes. Lymburner passed away on Feb. 23 after a long illness.

Lymburner, 64, moved to Steep Falls as a young mother and quickly made her presence felt in the community.

Shortly after moving to the area Lymburner discovered a local mill was hoping to dump sludge over acres of the town’s land. Devastated by the idea, she quickly formed a group to challenge the mill.

“I remember my mother crying when she found out,” said Lymburner’s son Jeffrey Folsom. “Then she decided to form Standish Citizens Opposed to Sludge to fight the mill. She fought, and they won, that was really what got her started as an advocate for the environment.”

Lymburner joined the Standish Town Council and quickly established herself as a leader and watchdog for her community.

As a town council member she crusaded against quasi-municipalities for town beaches and land in Standish. Before her illness forced her to resign from the council in 2006, Lymburner was working with neighboring towns to set up a land trust to protect the local environment for future generations.

“She was a very powerful councilor,” said Standish Town Manager and friend Gordon Billington. “She was extremely passionate about the major issues facing Standish, her advice and opinions were always well respected.”

Town Council Chair Terry Christy agreed.

“She was a great investigator of the issues,” said Christy. “She was willing to look at the issue from both sides. She always respected others’ opinions even if she did not share them.”

Lymburner did not limit her political activities to the local government. She ran for state legislature twice in the 1980s, and in 1984 she served on Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign staff.

As a national organizer for the Uranium Citizen’s Network, a veterans advocacy group, Lymburner traveled the country speaking to state leaders about radioactive weapons and their effect on people and the environment. She also wrote several articles on this subject that were printed in various medical and military journals, and in the 2004 book, “Metal of Dishonor: How the Pentagon Radiates Soldiers & Civilians with Depleted Uranium Weapons.”

The Maine State Legislature recognized Lymburner for her service to the community at a recent town council meeting.

“Dolly brought a great deal of grace and a tremendous sense of purpose to our community,” said Rep. Gary Moore (R-Standish). “She was a fantastic lady and a great leader.”

Although Lymburner was serious about tough issues, she also knew how to have fun. Her son remembers her excitement over the holidays, especially Halloween.

“My mom loved Halloween,” said Folsom. “She dressed up every year and the house was always decorated for us kids. She threw these huge Halloween parties in the basement of our house that the whole neighborhood was invited to. She made sure our house was the place to be.”

Family and friends were especially important to Lymburner, whose six children and 10 grandchildren live close by and visited often.

“She loved those kids,” said Christy. “She was a great friend and she will be missed dearly.”

On Sunday, mourners gathered at the Steep Falls Baptist Church to say goodbye to Dolores “Dolly” Lymburner a community and state activist who championed environmental causes. Lymburner passed away on Feb. 23 after a long illness.

Lymburner, 64, moved to Steep Falls as a young mother and quickly made her presence felt in the community.

Shortly after moving to the area Lymburner discovered a local mill was hoping to dump sludge over acres of the town’s land. Devastated by the idea, she quickly formed a group to challenge the mill.

“I remember my mother crying when she found out,” said Lymburner’s son Jeffrey Folsom. “Then she decided to form Standish Citizens Opposed to Sludge to fight the mill. She fought, and they won, that was really what got her started as an advocate for the environment.”

Lymburner joined the Standish Town Council and quickly established herself as a leader and watchdog for her community.

As a town council member she crusaded against quasi-municipalities for town beaches and land in Standish. Before her illness forced her to resign from the council in 2006, Lymburner was working with neighboring towns to set up a land trust to protect the local environment for future generations.

“She was a very powerful councilor,” said Standish Town Manager and friend Gordon Billington. “She was extremely passionate about the major issues facing Standish, her advice and opinions were always well respected.”

Town Council Chair Terry Christy agreed.

“She was a great investigator of the issues,” said Christy. “She was willing to look at the issue from both sides. She always respected others’ opinions even if she did not share them.”

Lymburner did not limit her political activities to the local government. She ran for state legislature twice in the 1980s, and in 1984 she served on Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign staff.

As a national organizer for the Uranium Citizen’s Network, a veterans advocacy group, Lymburner traveled the country speaking to state leaders about radioactive weapons and their effect on people and the environment. She also wrote several articles on this subject that were printed in various medical and military journals, and in the 2004 book, “Metal of Dishonor: How the Pentagon Radiates Soldiers & Civilians with Depleted Uranium Weapons.”

The Maine State Legislature recognized Lymburner for her service to the community at a recent town council meeting.

“Dolly brought a great deal of grace and a tremendous sense of purpose to our community,” said Rep. Gary Moore (R-Standish). “She was a fantastic lady and a great leader.”

Although Lymburner was serious about tough issues, she also knew how to have fun. Her son remembers her excitement over the holidays, especially Halloween.

“My mom loved Halloween,” said Folsom. “She dressed up every year and the house was always decorated for us kids. She threw these huge Halloween parties in the basement of our house that the whole neighborhood was invited to. She made sure our house was the place to be.”

Family and friends were especially important to Lymburner, whose six children and 10 grandchildren live close by and visited often.

“She loved those kids,” said Christy. “She was a great friend and she will be missed dearly.”