3300 North Market Street • Wilmington, Delaware 19802
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The Office of the Mayor presented
Friends of Historic Riverview Cemetery Board of Directors
with the 2014 Wilmington Award for Leadership in Community Building
The Office of the Mayor presented
Friends of Historic Riverview Cemetery Board of Directors
with the 2014 Wilmington Award for Leadership in Community Building
A cemetery has the potential to draw people together from all walks of life and all parts of the world. The Board of Directors govern every aspect of the organization and provide exceptional "boots on the ground" service, always leading by example. A Volunteer-Partnership Model is used to operate, maintain, restore, and preserve the cemetery — resulting in an expanding community of talented, dedicated,
and passionate people who are inter-dependent on one another.
The impact of FHRC is visible (healthy trees, trimmed grass, repaired monuments, new flower beds); and relational in bringing people together for a common purpose. The City of Wilmington can be proud that under the leadership of the FHRC Board of Directors, this historic cemetery once again provides dignified burials in a place of beauty, peace, and honor. Riverview Cemetery is a place where all are welcome.
Friends of Historic Riverview Cemetery's Board of Directors
Vincent White
President
Vincent is a commercial real estate broker and long-
standing community activist. He has served as the North West Civic Assoc.
President for 10 years and is a First District Planning Council member. Quality of life matters, and he sees the current and future value of Riverview Cemetery
enhancing the surrounding
community.
Kate Wilhere, C.P.A. (ret)
Treasurer
Kate, founding board member of FHRC, retired as Managing Director of Cover & Rossiter, P.A. in Wilmington, DE. She was previously chair of the Board of Managers, Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital. Kate served on the Nemours Board for 15 years. She was an associate professor at the University of Delaware School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, where she taught Non-Profit Financial Management for 14 years. Kate previously served on the governing boards of West End Neighborhood House, Cornerstone West, and the Newark Child Development Center.
Mary King
Secretary
Mary has been FHRC Board of Directors Secretary since 2009. She retired from the construction management industry as a Senior Project Manager at EDiS Company. During 39 years with EDiS, she managed cost, quality, and scheduling for 68 projects valued at $190 million. She was a member of the National Association of Women in Construction for over 20 years, serving in several board positions. She began volunteering at Riverview in 1999 when it was neglected. As a member of the "boots-on-the-ground" Board, she continues to assist with a variety of duties in the operation of the cemetery.
Shirley Duffy
Board Member
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree as a medical technologist, Shirley became a West Virginia Northern Community College tenured faculty member and was then Director of the MT Program at Wheeling University. She had a 23-year career at Merck and Astra Zeneca in pharmaceutical sales, training, management, and regulatory affairs. Her life-long gardening hobby led her to the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program and the Mt. Cuba Center Ecological Gardening Certificate. In May 2023, Shirley earned a Bachelor's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Delaware's College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. She has a wealth of knowledge and excellent teaching skills, and makes learning fun for the volunteers she engages.
Linda Gould
Board Member
Linda is a death doula, podcaster, and lifelong history and cemetery enthusiast. She has a deep interest in the stories cemeteries hold and the role they play in connecting us to our past. With a background in journalism and environmental science, She has worked with the United Nations Environment Programme and is an advocate for sustainable death and burial practices, helping to preserve both memory and the environment for future generations. Through her podcast and community work, Linda explores the intersection of history, remembrance, and sustainability, fostering conversations about how we honor those who came before us while caring for the earth they leave behind.
Cynthia Sperberg
Board Member
Cynthia joined the FHRC board in January 2025. She moved to Delaware from her native California in 2016 and resides in the nearby Harlan neighborhood. She's passionate about exploring the intersection where death and life meet in our mindsets, spirituality, culture, and landscapes. She founded Living Leaves and co-produces the Cemetery Chronicles podcast. With a background from UC-Berkeley and the University of Kent at Canterbury, she brings a unique perspective to her endeavors. Cynthia honed her skills by connecting to what matters to the people she serves while working as a reporter at WYSO Public Radio and as an intern at KPFA News. She's a doula, yoga practitioner, private pilot, and nature enthusiast. She's served with Temenos Retreat and Sanctuary in West Chester, PA, as well as the Gorilla Foundation, Wildcare, and Pacific Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in CA. When Cynthia doesn't have her hands in the dirt or knocking on doors, she works at a flight attendant.
John Medkeff
Board Member
John joined the FHRC board in June 2025. A Wilmington native, current Highlands neighborhood resident, and local history advocate, he has long supported FHRC as a donor and volunteer, including completing a cemetery survey project that prioritized the successful restoration of several at-risk monuments. John has family buried at Riverview, and his Todd family ancestors once owned part of the land from which Riverview Cemetery was created. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from the University of Delaware and, 40 years later, retired after having served a productive and rewarding career as a marketing professional with several Delaware companies. John's a published historian and nonprofit leader, and brings his valuable expertise in heritage projects, public engagement, and historic preservation to FHRC's mission.
Lee Anderson, PhD
Honorary Board Member
Founder of FHRC, Dr. Anderson is a licensed psychologist in private practice since 1985. She has provided a wide range of mental health services to DE and PA communities. She's served as board president for Supporting Kidds -- The Center for Grieving Children and Their Families, founded the state-wide Delaware Grief Awareness Coalition, and is a long-standing member of the Delaware Psychological Association. In addition to her clinical practice, she authored and self-published Riverview Cemetery: Reading the Stones -- A Collection of Memories From the First State in 2005. Her advocacy paved the way for the creation of FHRC in January 2009. In 2010, Dr. Anderson received the Delaware Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award for her service with FHRC.
Tedd Cocker
Honorary Board Member
Tedd was a founding board member of FHRC and has stayed active in assisting the board when needed. In 1983, he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer Three from the U.S. Army, where he served in various military intelligence organizations. He is a former Vice President of Computer Sciences Corporation and the former president and COO of Pilar Services, Inc. Tedd was also a corporate recruiter for the central Maryland chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and served as president for the Better Community Committee responsible for supporting a South Korean orphanage. In 2014, Tedd was received the Delaware Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award for his service with FHRC.