Save the Whales co-founder dies in Monterey County home after fight with cancer, she was 87

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The non-profit organization, Save the Whales, announced the passing of one of its co-founders earlier this week.

Maris Sidenstecker I died peacefully at home in Monterey County surrounded by loved ones and humpback whale songs, after a brave and valiant fight against cancer," said the Saves the Whales website.

She started the group back in 1977 alongside her daughter who was 14 years old at the time. Maris Sidenstecker II designed a t-shirt to promote the cause of saving whales and from there the group took off.

 She was a single mom, and began devoting her weekends to selling t-shirts with her daughter at community fairs in Los Angeles, California. Soon, her daughter began doing TV appearances and radio interviews to educate the public about commercial whaling.  In 1977, Save the Whales was incorporated as a nonprofit organization. During that summer, they took a boat trip to Puget Sound, Washington to observe orcas in the wild and assist Ken Balcomb’s organization by photo documenting them in the wild. This solidified for MII that she would become a marine biologist and set the trajectory for their life-long mother and daughter commitment to the whales and to the organization.

Save The Whales

Maris I fought to save the nearly extinct vaquita porpoise and educated over 340,000 students about marine life.

In 2006, Maris I moved to Santa Cruz County and continued to work with her daughter on Save the Whales which was then in Monterey County.  She lived in Monterey County for the last three years.