Theater usher mourned after body found: 'She could carry on a conversation with anybody'

Family and friends of a Fort Myers Beach theater usher were mourning her death after authorities found her body this weekend, about 1½ weeks after Hurricane Ian destroyed her house.

Martha “Marti” Campbell, 74, worked for years as an usher at Fort Myers venues Florida Repertory Theatre and Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. She also volunteered at Edison & Ford Winter Estates.

“We’re all extremely sad,” said Juan Santiago, Florida Rep’s director of operations, on Monday. “It breaks our heart to know that we lost a member of our family. We’re all family here.”

Campbell’s family shared the sad news Sunday on Facebook.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce that our family matriarch Martha Marti Campbell has been found deceased,” they wrote under the heading “Official family update.” “This is not the news that any of us were praying for, but we now have closure as a family.”

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Campbell lived at 100 Hercules Drive across the street from her brother, Robert Campbell. According to a family post, she sought refuge in a second-floor bathtub as Hurricane Ian stormed Fort Myers Beach on Sept. 28. The last they heard from her on the phone, her house was starting to collapse around her.

“It’s really just a huge loss for our family,” said Marti’s niece, Alison Campbell.

Robert Campbell survived the hurricane in his own home, Alison Campbell said. He was talking to his sister on the phone shortly before her house collapsed.

“He had gone back to his place just to grab a couple of things to weather the storm,” Alison said. “And the water rose too quickly.”

Both houses were destroyed in the hurricane, she said.

'She was always very caring, very loving, very supportive of people'

Marti Campbell was a retired home economics teacher who'd worked for years at Clewiston Middle School. She later turned her attention to two things she loved in Southwest Florida — the arts and history. That’s why she spent so much time at The Edison Estates, Mann Hall and Florida Rep, her niece said.

“She wanted to make her community, the Fort Myers Beach area, just the best,” Alison Campbell said. “And that’s why she did so much volunteer work.”

Marti Campbell’s niece described her aunt — a native of Maysville, Kentucky, where she’d recently bought a second house — as an extremely friendly and caring woman.

“Marti never knew a stranger,” Alison said. “She met you once, and you were her friend for life. …

“She could carry on a conversation with anybody. She was always very caring, very loving, very supportive of people.”

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Alison Campbell said the family was shocked by Marti Campbell’s death, especially since early predictions showed the hurricane hitting farther north near where Alison Campbell lives in Seminole.

Her niece said she sent a message to Campbell and her uncle the morning of the hurricane. “I just said, ‘Stay safe,’” she said. “And they were like, ‘We’re worried about you. Make sure you stay safe.’

“Because it was supposed to hit the Tampa Bay area and it didn’t. It hit them. It hit them much harder than anyone would’ve expected.”

Florida Rep honors Marti Campbell

Campbell volunteered as an usher for 16 years at Florida Rep and 14 at Mann Hall (where she was also an aisle captain).

Mann Hall posted a tribute to Campbell on Facebook Sunday and described her as “our dear friend, usher, and Aisle Captain Martha Marti Campbell.”

“She loved the theater and it showed in her enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to the Barbara B. Mann Volunteer Usher Program,” the venue wrote. “During her meetings with her ushers, you could see her years as a teacher shine through. …

“We were so lucky to have such an inspiring usher and Aisle Captain as one of our own. Heaven has gained another angel and Marti’s sweet smile and little hair barrettes will surely be missed.”

Campbell’s family is asking friends and family members to post “Marti stories” on her Facebook page: bit.ly/3MlUhBB.

Funeral services will be announced later, the family wrote on Facebook.

“Marti was a servant of the community, volunteering countless hours,” they said in their official post. “We greatly appreciate all of those that have become part of our family during this painful time and never gave up during our search for our beloved family member.”

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Ian: Body of Florida Rep, Mann Hall theater usher found