Friends plan for Jarvenpaa memorial
By Karen Mann

JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

A memorial is being put together for David Jarvenpaa, who died Nov. 22, 2005, in a fire in his family's South Ashburnham Road mill.

The Westminster Open Space Committee along with the North County Land Trust, Inc. and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, are working together to plan the memorial.

Donna Brownell, a member of the open space committee, said the groups wanted to honor the Jarvenpaa family because they have given so much to the town. She said that David especially was very active in the community.

"He was in tune with how to help and serve the community," Brownell said.

Jarvenpaa, 53, was a lifelong resident of Westminster. He represented the town on the MRPC for the past 18 years and he served as chairman of the commission for the past eight years.

He also served on a large variety of other regional environmental and planning committees, and was a former member of the town planning board.

"This is a good way for the community to come together and a good way to honor Jarvenpaa," Brownell said.

Brownell said they plan on placing a memorial boulder on the family's property where it connects to the Midstate Trail on Bragg Hill Road.

All of those involved thought this would be an appropriate location.

The boulder will have an inscription on it, which will read: "In honor of the Jarvenpaa Family, good stewards of this land for generations and protectors of the Midstate Trail. Dedicated to David Jarvenpaa, 1952-2005."

The family has seen the inscription and they approved of it, Brownell said.

Jarvenpaa is survived by his parents, Eino and Alice, of Westminster, as well as his brother, Steven, and four sisters, Cindy Martin, Susan Straitt, Taimi Caron and Terri Cardwell as well as many nieces and nephews.

She said they would like to have the memorial done by or before the fall. She is not sure whether or not there will be an official dedication, because they have not planned that far ahead yet.

The North County Land Trust is collection all contributions people wish to make to the memorial.

Contributions in excess of those required for the memorial will be donated to the Westminster Midstate Trail Fund. For more information, contact Janet Morrison, NCLT Executive Director, (978)-342-0174.

-  -

Karen Mann is a 2006 graduate of Emerson College, in Boston, where she studied journalism. She resides in Townsend with her parents.