Honoring Our Deceased 1962 Classmates

You are invited to honor deceased classmates by putting your memories of them in writing. Remembrances of any length may be submitted for our 1962 class website by sending them to Joanne Couch Cogar, our class VP/Webmaster, at joanne.c.cogar@gmail.com. More formal tributes (100 word maximum) can be submitted for the Wellesley Magazine through our class secretary, Sandy Asensio Koppen, at twoheadstoo@gmail.com.

Most Recent Obituaries

 

Mariana Field Hoppin  -  November 10, 2025

HOPPIN--Mariana Field. Mariana was a mother, entrepreneur and world traveler. She loved family, friends and dogs (not necessarily in that order), along with swimming, fabulous restaurants and great conversation. While she visited all continents save Antarctica, she loved living in NYC. Mariana was known for her tenacity, vivacity, loquacity and inimitable style. She is survived by her children David and Ashley Hoppin, her son-in-law Brian Armstrong and her grandchildren Annabelle and Kathleen Hoppin and Oliver and Henry Armstrong. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to www.ProPublica.org Veni, Natavi, Vici.

Sandra Douglas Fotinos-Riggs - August 10, 2025

Sandra Douglas Fotinos-Riggs passed away on August 10, 2025, in Sierra Vista, AZ, at the age of 85. Born on July 19, 1940, in Worcester, MA, to Earl and Hertha Douglas, Sandra-known to her friends and family as Sandi-was the middle child, born between her elder sister Carol and her younger sister Faye. Close-knit as children, the three girls remained dear to each other throughout life.
A prolific reader and gifted writer from a young age, Sandi had a deep love of language and words. She earned her BA in English Literature from Wellesley College and her MA in Education from Johns Hopkins University. Although acting was her first calling, she embraced a new stage when she fell in love with teaching. For over 25 years, Sandi taught English as a Second Language at Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts, where she created and led the college's first ESL program. Her published ESL conversation books were the first of their kind, and they opened doors for adult English language learners around the world.
Sandi lived many adventures, spread across many different parts of the world. In 1964, after completing her master's degree, she moved to Greece, where she met her first husband, Xenofon Fotinos. After raising their family in Haverhill, MA, she relocated to Bisbee, AZ in 1990 to begin a new chapter of her life. There, she continued teaching ESL at Cochise College and met and married the love of her life, Gene Riggs. Sandi retired early to devote her time to adventures with Gene. They explored the Southwest together, recording rock art, serving as stewards of Black Draw archaeological site, and contributing to various archeological groups in the region. Sandi loved to say that she was "living her happily ever after".
Sandi is survived by her children, Christina, Elizabeth, and Paul; younger sister, Faye; stepchildren, Larry, Patti, and Randy; nine grandchildren, and one great grandchild; four step grandchildren and great grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and extended Greek family. Her legacy lives on in the countless students, colleagues, friends, and family members she loved and inspired. She will be dearly missed by all who love h"er.

Josephine Jo" Rummell Markwyn - August 16, 2025

Margaret Josephine "Jo" Rummell Markwyn, the beloved wife of the late Daniel Markwyn, unexpectedly died on August 16, 2025 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, after a brief battle with cancer. Jo was born on May 19, 1941, in Columbia, Missouri, to Harry Stevenson Rummell and Margaret Ellen McCarthy Rummell. She spent her formative years in St. Louis, Missouri and Deansboro, New York. She earned a BA in history from Wellesley College and an MA in history from Columbia University. In the fall of 1967, she entered the doctoral program in Early American History at Cornell University, where she met Dan outside a seminar room. They were married in June of 1969 and moved to Santa Rosa, California in 1970 when Dan was hired as assistant professor of history at Sonoma State College (now University). Jo, like many other women of her generation, remained "ABD" (all but dissertation), and dedicated her considerable intellectual talents to raising their children, Abby and Chris, to be voracious readers, talented writers, and generally good people.
While Abby and Chris were young, Jo graded papers for the Montgomery High School English department and ran the library at Village Elementary School. After they finished college, she enrolled in SSU's Cultural Resource Management graduate program. Having finally found an outlet for her well-honed research and writing skills, she worked for the Anthropological Studies Center at SSU until 2005. After retiring, she volunteered at the Sonoma County History and Genealogy library. She and Dan helped found the Santa Rosa Historical Society and were active members of the Advocates for the Sonoma County Archives and the Sonoma County Historical Society.
Jo never realized how much people loved and appreciated her kindness, wit, and intellect. By nature someone who did not seek the spotlight, she wholeheartedly supported her friends and family and took genuine interest in other people's lives. Jo spent many hours driving Abby back and forth to swim meets across northern California and passed on her love of science fiction to Chris by watching endless hours of Star Trek with him. As her grandchildren grew up, she learned about modern dance, marching band, and youth theater, and remained engaged with a changing world. She read everything; recent favorites included the works of John Scalzi and Martha Wells, and a history of Indo-European languages. An avid fan of crossword puzzles and the NYT word games, she kept Abby's family apprised of her daily Spelling Bee "Genius" status via their group chat. She was a loving mother and grandmother whose support and love will be dearly missed.
Following Dan's death, Jo moved to Waukesha last summer to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She was lucky enough to see one grandchild married in June. She is survived by her beloved children Abigail Markwyn (Kevin Guilfoy) and Christopher Markwyn (Nicole Maxwell) as well as six well-loved grandchildren, Abby's James Markwyn, William Markwyn, Harry Guilfoy, and Molly Guilfoy, and Chris's Catherine Maxwell and Owen Markwyn (Naia Andrews). She is also survived by her brother, Peter Rummell (Lee Ann) and their children, Mahala Adams and Harry Rummell.
Jo will be buried alongside Dan at Santa Rosa Memorial Park. A service will be held at a later date. The family requests that any memorial contributions be made to the Advocates for the Sonoma County Archives, via the Sonoma County Historical Society, PO Box 1373, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 (note ASCA on check).

Carol Ohta - May 3, 2025

Patricia Caplan (Schaefer) Andrews - September 26, 2025

Marcia McClintock Folsom - April 16, 2025

Marcia McClintock Folsom, a literary scholar, writer, and gifted college teacher for more than fifty years, died on April 16, 2025 at her home in Boston’s South End after a brief illness. She was 84.

Marcia lived a life defined by love and generosity, intellect and accomplishment, leaving a legacy of kindness that touched countless lives. Her warm heart and giving nature brightened the world, and she will be deeply missed. She took great pleasure in spending time with her sons and their families, traveling with her sisters, and visiting with friends and neighbors in the South End and Bethel, Vermont.

Marcia Lynn McClintock was born in 1940 in Evanston, Illinois, and attended the University School in Columbus, Ohio, where she spent most of her childhood, before going to Wellesley College, where she studied English literature, graduating in 1962.

She earned her Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley in 1976, choosing Berkeley because it seemed to her the most intellectually exciting place in the country and was at the leading edge of the political and cultural ferment of the 1960s.

While at Berkeley, she met her future husband, Michael Brewster Folsom, a fellow graduate student in American literature, with whom she shared passions for both intellectual life and progressive politics. They were active in protests against the Vietnam War and in support of the Women’s Rights, Free Speech, and Civil Rights Movements.

Marcia’s doctoral dissertation was a feminist study of the depiction of women in Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, and she continued to write on feminist themes when she and her husband moved to Boston to take their first teaching positions, Mike at MIT and Marcia at Boston College. 

With Linda Heinlein Kirschner, she edited By Women, An Anthology of Literature in 1976. “The women represented in this book,” they wrote in the introduction,”have made it easier for us to write and to be heard today.  They have, in affirming their existences, validated ours as well.” The project of validating women’s voices was an enduring thread in her scholarly and teaching career.

She taught at Wheelock College from 1969 until her retirement in 2017, earning tenure in 1981, and serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs there from 1993 to 1997. Her talent for teaching is remembered by generations of Wheelock students who took courses with her on Jane Austen, Western Civilization, The 19th Century Novel, the Renaissance, and other topics. She was known for her kindness, command of the subject matter, and her talent for inspiring students with her love and admiration of literature.

The idea of Renaissance was a recurring theme in her teaching and scholarship.  Moments of creative effervescence—as in classical Greece, late Medieval Italy, 19^th century Massachusetts, and 1920’s Harlem—fascinated her.

Following Mike’s death in 1990, Marcia honored his legacy by serving on the board of directors of The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, which he founded in 1980, and which remains a vibrant cultural institution in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Marcia was also deeply committed to her neighborhood. She and Mike moved into the South End of Boston in 1968, purchasing a Victorian brick row house which they transformed over many years into the elegant and comfortable home she loved and lived in for the rest of her life.

With her friend and neighbor, Nate Smith, she transformed the empty lot between their two homes into a serene and beautiful public park. The verdant, uplifting space is open to all –– a lasting gift to the neighborhood she loved.

She is survived by her two sisters, Carolyn McClintock Peter and Abbie McClintock Crane, two sons, Jamie McClintock Folsom and his wife Beth Boucher, Raphael Brewster Folsom and his wife Sandra Folsom, and three grandchildren, August Field Folsom, Lorenzo Brewster Folsom, and Alejandro McClintock Folsom.

A memorial service in celebration of Marcia’s life will take place on June 14, 2025 at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Marcia’s name to the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, The Environmental Defense Fund, The Southern Poverty Law Center, or to Rosie’s Place, all of which Marcia supported for many years.

 

R. Marie Beaupre Goetz - July 26, 2024

 

Judith Myers Kinsey - September 4, 2024

Judith Myers Kinsey, 1962 Class President, passed away on September 4, 2024.  She and her husband raised their two children on a farm in Minnesota while Judy continued her lifelong career with IBM.  During her IBM years, she was often the “only woman in the room”, and successfully pioneered the way for women who followed. In later years, she left the farm for a senior community which she enjoyed while still being close to her children and grand-daughters.

Judy had a life-long love of music and travel which she enjoyed in her retirement while also working tirelessly for Wellesley. It was Judy who formed a team of classmates who reached out to others from their dorms to encourage participation in our 50th reunion and its record book. The success of her outreach earned Judy the title of parade marshal that year and ultimately class president by our 60th. Until her death, Judy led our class with team building and inclusiveness. In the end, all of us benefited from her generosity of spirit, which brought so many back into the great class of '62.

Pamela Chernoff Berger - August 31, 2024

The older of two sisters, Pamela Chernoff was born in New Britain, Conn., on May 8, 1940, and grew up mostly in West Hartford, Conn. Her father, Lew Chernoff, worked with his father and other relatives in their family business selling housing materials. Her mother, Helen Sondik Chernoff, was a homemaker.

Each summer, Dr. Berger’s immediate and extended families gathered at a waterfront house in New London, Conn., where she joined her grandmother for morning swims in Long Island Sound.

In 1969, she went to a women’s liberation conference at Emmanuel College, where she met women with whom she researched medical information that looked beyond the male perspective available in health care, which was then overwhelmingly dominated by men.

Their work evolved into “Our Bodies Ourselves,” whose editions were published on newsprint and sold for 75 cents.

In 1974, Dr. Berger joined the Boston College faculty and taught there until retiring after the 2020-21 academic year.

“She was extremely creative,” Michalczyk said. “She loved the students and faculty, and really did leave a legacy in our department.”

Katherine Lockwood Hayslip - May 26, 2024

Katherine Lockwood Hayslip passed away in her sleep, at home in Cumberland RI, on May 26, 2024. At the age of 84, Katherine was the oldest of the five children born to George Lockwood and Katherine Morris of New Rochelle, NY where she grew up. Her high school years were spent at Abbott Academy in Andover MA, and Wellesley for college. Upon graduating college, she studied for a year at The University of Munich and then received a master’s in library science from Columbia. Katherine took a job as a cataloger at Brown University.  She married Edwin Hayslip in 1971 and they moved into the Hayslip home in Cumberland, RI. Their son Noah was born in 1973 and raised in Cumberland. Kath continued to live in the Cumberland home until her death.Katherine Lockwood Hayslip passed away in her sleep on May 26, 2024. She was under the care of hospice for the last month of her life while she battled congestive heart failure and lung cancer.Relatives and friends are kindly invited to a Funeral Service on Saturday, June 15th at 11:00 AM in S. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 114 George St., Providence, RI.Burial will be private.A donation in Katherine’s memory, may be made to S. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 114 George St. Providence RI 02906. 

 

Lee Burnham Hayden - May 15, 2024

Surrounded by her loving family, Lee Norton Hayden (née Burnham), 84, died peacefully, May 15, 2024, in Toronto. Lee is survived by her husband, Peter R. Hayden, Q.C., of 58 years; daughters, Katie Hayden (Scott Jeffery) and Jenny Hayden (Lisa Roman); and grandchildren, Tessa and Zoë Jeffery-Hayden, and Rafa and Gabriel Hayden-Roman. She will also be missed by her sister, Anne Burnham; sister- and brother-in-law, Lynda and John Diakiw; sister-in-law, Diane Bews; and her nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents. Lee was born on January 7, 1940, to Dorothy (née Quiri) and Frederick Burnham in Boston, MA, and grew up in Boston and Chicago. She received her BA from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1962 with a focus on English, Art History and Zoology. She later met Peter while teaching elementary school in Boston. She laughingly described how Peter, the gregarious "Canuck," hogged her guitar and left beer stains on it at a folk party… and the rest is history. The pair married in Cambridge, MA, in July 1965, and moved to Toronto soon after, where Lee worked as a book editor and elementary school teacher until she and Peter had their daughters.

Lee was a passionate 45-year volunteer with the Toronto Symphony Volunteer Committee and Junior Women's Committee, and was honoured by the province of Ontario in 2011 for her 40 years of service to the Symphony. Claire Evans Martin - December 22, 2022

In 1968 Claire married Lawrence Martin. They moved first to Minneapolis, where Karina was born; then to Wisconsin, where Nick was born and Larry worked on his PhD; then to Rome, Italy, where Sonia was born and Larry completed his dissertation on a Fulbright fellowship; and finally to Akron, OH, where Monica Frith was born. All of their children were fortunate to grow up in Akron, close to Claire's parents in Pittsburgh. The family was also fortunate enough to spend seven summers when the children were young at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. In 1989, Larry and Claire, Nick, Sonia and Frith spent a sabbatical year in Dublin, Ireland.

Claire and Larry both taught at the University of Akron for 21 years and later at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire for ten years. Claire taught a survey of Western Culture and later English as a Second Language at the University of Akron, and religious studies at John Carroll University and later at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.
After their retirement from U.W. Eau Claire in 2008, Larry and Claire worked, along with Rick Gresczyk, on a project producing hymns in the Ojibwe language at the Catholic Church of Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis. Claire practiced carefully to lead the Ojibwe language singing at church.

Claire always enjoyed singing, and she sang soprano in several choirs, including the Choral Society at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron, OH and the UWEC Symphonic Choir. She also loved to garden and to walk outdoors in the beautiful surroundings of her home in Eau Claire. When the children were growing up, she enjoyed hiking and camping with them. She loved to entertain guests, especially her children and grandchildren, in her home. She and Larry also enjoyed traveling, making several trips to Europe with their children, and in more recent years, to Nicaragua, Guatemala, Chile and Peru, as well as to Mexico with her brother John and sister-in-law Phyllis.

Linda (Baker) Hunter - 1/21/2024

Linda Baker Hunter, daughter of Ruth and Lou Baker, grew up in Great Neck, NY surrounded by her extended family headed by her grandmother, Sarah Dancis Goldberg, an immigrant from Ukraine. Linda graduated from Wellesley College and attended Stanford University.

She married Jamie Hunter and they moved to Oregon to teach at the University of Oregon. They then sailed the South Pacific for a year on the ‘Flying Cloud” landing in Lahaina, Maui three months pregnant. They swapped their share of the boat for land on the slopes of Haleakala. There, Linda raised her children, Sarah and Lono on their self-sustaining farm. They grew most of their food and lived without electricity or a phone much to Linda’s mother’s dismay! There, she learned that she loved helping plants, animals and people grow.

Linda loved to learn and went back to school over and over again and became a Social Worker and Psychologist. On Maui, she helped found Maui Family Reunion. As a family visitor, she supported newborn families with Maui Family Support Services. She worked at Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center, and Aloha House. Linda’s passion became using Sandplay and Play Therapy with children and families. Later,  Linda moved to Palm Beach, Florida to care for her parents and was a co-founder and board member of the Association for Community Counseling. ACC was an all-volunteer organization which used a client centered philosophy to serve clients of all ages within a group format. She trained hundreds of professionals and volunteers to use Sandplay and Play Therapy in Florida and all over the world. She volunteered in Bosnia, South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, China, India, Peru, Costa Rica and more. Her love of travel complimented her love of teaching, and she was often invited to present her material to professionals and parents wherever she went.

Linda’s true loves were her children, Sarah and Lono, her partner Ray and her grandchildren Ciara, Malina, Xavi and Micah as well as many “grand-dogs”. Her love of gardening, reading and being with children continued. She especially loved sharing time with her grandchildren. She always made time to read with them and to sit on the floor to play whatever game they wanted her to play. They loved visiting Grandma’s play rooms and loved playing with her in the sand.

Linda’s adventures were cut short by a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in 2013. She knew her “swiss cheese brain” was not as sharp as it had been. (She had two PhD’s, three master’s degrees and had written a book,Images of Resiliency.) At that point she turned to her family to escort her through increasingly challenging years in New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

As a practitioner of mindfulness meditation, Alzheimer’s was her ultimate practice in being present and connected. She knew and enjoyed her family all the way until the end. Linda is survived by her brother, Jerry Baker, her daughter Sarah O’Brien, and her son Lono Hunter and her four grandchildren.

A remembrance of Linda from Bonnie Cobert Millender

I was sad to learn about the death of Linda Baker Hunter. I lived next door to her in Schafer freshman year and enjoyed getting to know her. She was so warm and enthusiastic and determined to absorb everything that Wellesley had to offer. We moved to different dorms for the next three years, but I was always delighted to see her whenever we ran into each other on the campus.

I lost track of her after graduation, but I was so happy to reconnect with her when she came to our 50th Reunion. She was still the same sweet, open-hearted girl I remembered and we had a wonderful conversation catching up with each other's lives.

I just read her obituary and was very impressed. I was not aware of her many accomplishments and the innovative programs she developed over her lifetime, but I am not surprised. That eager and giving young girl I knew as a freshman was bound to make a difference in whatever path she chose.

Jane Langreth Twichell - October 11, 2023

From Legacy - Amherst, MA - Jane Shepard Langreth Twichell passed away on October 11, 2023 after a long illness.

Jane was born on October 2, 1940, the third of four children of Faith Grant Langreth and George Lillingston Langreth. Her early years were spent in Greenwich, Connecticut. She was an accomplished youth sailor and swimmer, winning the seaman award from Stamford Yacht Club in 1951. The family moved to Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania where she graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School. Jane attended Wellesley College, earning a Bachelor's degree in zoology with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1962, and the University of Pittsburgh, earning a Master's degree in history in 1963.

Jane was married to Joseph Twichell from 1963 to 1991. They had three children: Karen (1965), Deborah (1967), and John (1969). The family lived in New York while Joe completed his surgical training and then moved to Winchester, Massachusetts, where Jane lived for 42 years before moving to Amherst, Massachusetts.

Jane loved the ocean and living by the sea. Her summer house in Craigville on Cape Cod was a sanctuary for her and her family for the past 50 years. Jane was a curious and interested person who loved cards (especially bridge), tennis (playing, watching, and reading about), baseball (particularly the Red Sox and Pirates), musical theater, opera, dogs, pulp fiction, and coconut cake. She volunteered with the Winton Club, the women's auxiliary supporting Winchester Hospital, for many years, serving in every major role for the annual fundraising cabaret show. Her gift for numeracy spanned from bids in bridge to swim time comparisons to tax calculations. A life-long learner, she was always a strong advocate for her children's education.

She is survived by her three children and their spouses, Karen Garman (Scott), Deborah McDermott (Daniel), and John Twichell (Christine); her six grandchildren, Grace and Caroline Garman, Aquinnah and Cooper McDermott, and Hank and Hadley Twichell; and two sisters Susan Merryman (her twin) and Ann Orr. Her brother, David Langreth, died in 2011.

Martha Scoville Fetherolf Loutfi - February 12. 2023

Lakeville Journal   September 20, 2023

WEST CORNWALL —Martha Scoville Fetherolf Loutfi of West Cornwall and Geneva, Switzerland, passed away peacefully Feb. 12, 2023, after bravely facing a long illness. 

Martha was born in New York City, July 1, 1940, to James M. and Eloise Fetherolf (nee Cheney) and grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut,  and White Plains, New York.

She was an alumna of Rosemary Hall (’58) and Wellesley College (AB ’62) She was very attached to her alma maters and the friendships developed there. At Wellesley, Martha was one of the economics students who benefited from the extraordinary mentorship of Carolyn Shaw Bell. Martha earned a Ph.D in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 with a thesis on Japanese foreign aid. 

Her interest in Japan and the Far East was sparked during a trip around the world with her loving brother, Dr. Edward Fetherolf, and continued throughout her life. Martha collected Japanese art and became a very good cook of Asian-inspired food.

She married a fellow economics doctoral student, Mohamed A. Loutfi of Alexandria, Egypt in 1964. They both joined the economics faculty of McGill University in Montreal, Canada until moving to Beirut, Lebanon where Mohamed joined the United Nations and Martha taught at the American University. After being evacuated from Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, the Loutfis moved to Geneva.

Martha was very proud of the work she carried out as part of the Secretariat of the Independent Commission for International Developmental Issues (Brandt Commission) with the aim to review international development issues under the leadership of former Chancellor of West Germany, Willy Brandt, from 1977-79. The Commission’s report provided an understanding of drastic differences in the economic development of the Global North and Global South.

Martha joined the International Labour Office in 1980 where she would work until her retirement in 2000. She started her career in the Development Department where she managed and coordinated the Program on Rural Women. Her responsibilities also included the development of the Rural Employment Policies’ Branch Programs. 

She published seminal works that sought to make women’s work visible and to value the contributions of women to economic development, (“Rural Women: Unequal Partners in Development” and “Women, Gender and Work: What is Equality and How Do We Get There?”) 

In 1993, Martha became the Editor-in-Chief of the International Labour Review where she was responsible for attracting and editing several notable academics and improving the journal’s editorial quality.

After retirement, Martha spent time in Nice, France, and West Cornwall where her father’s family had roots, and Geneva.

Always interested in art and music, she was an avid concert and exhibition goer. She became an excellent photographer and exhibited her photographs in both Connecticut and Geneva. She also shared them with friends and family in an annual calendar she lovingly prepared. Always an excellent cook, Martha was known for the delicious lunches and dinners she carefully prepared for her friends, always accompanied with good wine and conversation.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband. She leaves behind her brother, two nieces, and many cousins and close friends.

Additional information about Marty from the Choate Rosemary Hall newsletter:

Marty attended Rosemary Hall, where she was president of her sixth form class, head of the rules committee, head of the chapel committee, and won a school history prize. She was awarded the Rosemary Hall Alumnae Award in 1983. 

A remembrance of Marty from Judy Myers Kinsey

This one makes me very sad.  Marty and I (and Sally) were on the 3rd floor of Caz freshman year.  And then I went off to my new dorm every year adventure.  But Marty and I stayed connected - we were Widows.  She was a 1st alto and I was a 2nd- the other 62’s were Judi Porter, alto 2, Claudia Philipe soprano 1 and Lucy Kirk alto 2.  We had a wonderful time - both sophomore and junior year in Jamaica for spring break, where we met up with the Princeton Nassoons.   And many trips to perform at various schools.  Marty had a very pretty voice. Senior year she was the president and I was the music director.   
We didn’t keep in touch very much, but when we met up after long spaces, it was like no time had elapsed.  Marty was quiet - reserved - but so strong and determined.  A really smart lady.  And a really nice lady.

Martha Reardon Bewick  - June 20, 2022

Martha Reardon Bewick, age 81, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 20, 2022, at the Pat Roche Hospice Home in Hingham, MA.

Martha led a joyous, vibrantly full life in constant connection with her family and many treasured friends from across the world. She embraced any opportunity to celebrate her loved ones, showering them with poetry and song, thoughtful gifts and chocolate delicacies. She reveled in her Irish and German heritage, organizing Reardon, Cashman and Leich family reunions at home and abroad, and singing Irish ballads and German Christmas carols with equal enthusiasm. She was known by all for her intellect, humanity and sincere care for others. Friends and family often sought her out for her sound and wise advice or, if she was unavailable, pondered WWMD: “What would Martha do?”

Martha was the eldest child of the Hon. Paul Cashman and Ann Leich Reardon. She grew up in Quincy, MA, near to her grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. After graduating from Thayer Academy and Wellesley College, Martha lived for several years in Cambridge before buying a wonderful bungalow on Otis Hill overlooking Hingham harbor. She loved her home and happily shared it for 15 years with her late husband John A. Bewick.

After college, following five years as a textbook editor at Houghton Mifflin, Martha became the Manager of Business and Transportation at the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. She managed the startup of the Hingham-to-Boston commuter ferry and personally pursued its enhancement and viability until her death. That success resulted in Martha being appointed Associate Commissioner of the Massachusetts DPW by Governor Ed King. Simultaneously she was named Board Secretary of the International Marine Transit Association, a position she held for more than 20 years, traveling the world on behalf of increased ferry service. 

In 1987 she founded Harbor Consultancy International, focusing on ferry system planning and design. Martha’s firm belief in Hingham’s vigorous ferry service prompted her and husband John to lead the fight against the development of the MBTA Greenbush train service to the South Shore as an over-expensive, unnecessary burden to the ferry system. They lost the battle but won the concession that the trains pass through Hingham Square in a tunnel. This past year, Martha was also asked to represent the Town of Hingham on the MBTA Advisory Board, to which she enthusiastically agreed in hopes of continuing to protect and champion the Boston Harbor ferry system she so believed in.

Along with her ferry transportation work, another of Martha’s lifelong passions was music, and she found many venues through which to share her musical talents. She was a performer in the Cambridge Revels for many years, and a cantor at St Paul’s Church in Hingham for more than four decades. She was also a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Festival Chorus from 2006 to 2022, and greatly enjoyed summers in the Berkshires while performing at Tanglewood. 

In her later years, Martha turned her focus to history, researching and writing a book for the Hingham Historical Commission. Tranquility Grove, The Great Abolitionist Picnic of 1844, published in 2018, detailed an extraordinary Hingham event at which an estimated 10,000 visitors gathered to hear the speeches of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips, all ardent abolitionists. Martha’s book also suggested how the town could better maintain and interpret the land of Tranquility Grove in the future. At the time of her death, Martha was actively collaborating with landscape, history and fundraising professionals on a plan to turn the grove into a significant historic site and park.

Martha was a fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and served on multiple non-profit boards, including that of the Cambridge Revels, South Shore Conservatory, Thayer Academy, Pilgrim Society and Plimoth Plantation. She also remained very active within the alumnae organization of Wellesley College, maintaining regular contact with her many Wellesley peers as secretary of the class of 1962. Just this past May, she helped to organize her class’s 60^th reunion. Her final words in her Wellesley class reunion book provide an apt summary of her active and empathetic approach to life: “my wish for us all is that we may enjoy blessed lives, and good health, and continue to contribute to shaping the good world.”

Martha was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Ann Reardon; siblings Bobby Reardon and Jane Reardon Labys; and beloved husband, John A. Bewick.

Tribute from Sue Wheeler Mason '62, Martha's good friend since childhood: 

Martha celebrated life: her life, her family's lives, and her friends' lives. No event was insignificant. She was optimistic, non-judgmental, and the most generous person I have ever known. She connected people. She was the heart of the Class of 1962. She was a rock star who brought kindness and joy wherever she went. We are all mourning her loss.

Tribute from Patricia (Pat) Dickey Spencer '62, Martha's college roommate  

We are all grieving Martha's death;  she was such a wonderful friend, her energy, smile, humor, good will, her inclusivity, her honor-- she was special.  It was Martha who in a very real sense herded us all together, especially those like me who strayed from the flock.  Roommates at Wellesley in Tower Court, we lived and learned our different schedules and styles with loyalty and friendly jousting. For many years, we enjoyed our close friendship and wonderful correspondence.  Just recently, this spring,  we were reminiscing about her mum's Indian Pudding and my visit at her family home for Thanksgiving so many years ago.  It will be hard to know she's not in the world any longer, always making it better and happier for all.

Tribute from Joan Foedisch Adibi

When I learned at our reunion that my dear friend Martha was gravely ill, I was undone. Whom would I telephone when I was down or uncertain? Would it never be possible again to be cheered by her laugh and her outrageous speculations? To whom would I turn to discuss important decisions and smile about people and places we had shared? Who would encourage me to step out and speak up and do the right thing? She is irreplaceable.

I am so grateful that I knew her. What a remarkable person. Throughout her life she wrote poems that captured the essence of her observations. The culmination of her writing is the book about Tranquility Grove. She did amazing research to bring that historic event to life.

Martha had several profound losses: first the death of her little brother and then her sister’s tragic death in the TWA crash over Long Island. The latter made her question her future. She recounted that it helped her to open her heart to receive the love of the man who became her partner and her prince. John Bewick and Martha shared everything: their love of family and history and travel and cooking and eating. She was passionate about ferryboats and made a career as a consultant in that field. John shared that love too. They supported each other in pushing for the realization of this form of transportation in the Boston Harbor. Martha celebrated each day with entries and photographs on Facebook that she shared with all of her family and many friends.

Martha was a true friend. Martha played this role over and over again in my life, being my moral compass and nudging me toward goodness, toward being a more loving person. She was often my conscience reminding me to look at the other side of an issue, not having to win the argument.

Since losing Martha, I have felt rudderless and alone. Now coming together with her family and our classmates for her memorial service, I feel hope. She would not have moped or wallowed in self- pity. When I reached her in hospice, I heard her say, “I’m trying.” She would not have given up. She gave a wonderful example of continuing with her life of writing and singing and caring about each of us. The memory of her kind “sed ministrare” life lives on.

Marcia E. Burick -  June 5, 2022

 

Marcia E. Burick of Leeds, Massachusetts died peacefully in her sleep Saturday, June 5, 2022 after celebrating her 60th college reunion at Wellesley College surrounded by lifelong friends and classmates. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1962 with a major in Political Science. She was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1940 to Simon and Rachel Burick. She graduated from Fairview High School and was always connected to family and friends in Dayton.

Upon graduation from Wellesley, Marcia was the recipient of two Mai Ling Soong prizes, which allowed her to attend a NATO Youth Conference in the south of France. She then joined the staff of the Press and Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Mission to the U.N., under the leadership of Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson in September 1962, just a few weeks before the Cuban Missile Crisis. She spent much of the next decade raising children, Ken and Dan, and embracing her new home in Northampton where she moved to in 1968. Marcia became active in politics and community services. During that time, she was also working as a press director and speech writer for such organizations as Planned Parenthood of New York City, the Institute for International Education, The Fund for Peace and, occasionally, for the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. She used to say that she drifted to the job of Press Officer for the visit of the Chinese Table Tennis Team to the United States in Spring 1972 after the National Committee, a non-governmental organization, asked the U.S. Table Team Association, then in China in Spring 1971 at the invitation of Premier Zhou En-Lai, to invite the Chinese team to make a return visit to the U.S. in 1972, the beginning of U.S.-China Relations. She traveled with the teams throughout the U.S. in April 1972. After moving to Northampton, she earned an M.A. in Urban Studies at Smith College and wrote her thesis on Hong Kong Resettlement Housing, having received the Mary Elvira Stevens Fellowship for Wellesley alumni for travel and research abroad.

 
In 1980 she became chief aide to the Mayor of Northampton for a number of interesting years in local government and, during breaks, was able to organize and conduct several tours of the world. Although she worked and traveled the world extensively, Northampton was her home. She was deeply involved and committed to the community, its people, and its institutions. She was a longtime and active member of Congregation B’nai Israel and was a staple at every political function. Her home in Fairway Village, Leeds, was her home base and she entertained friends from all over the world and spent time with her close friends in the neighborhood.

 
She worked for many years, often under USIS or USAID auspices, consulting on social services or teaching government best practices in such places as the Baltics, Poland, Nigeria, Gaza, South Africa, and ran a program over several years for the Institute for Training and Development for government officials in Indonesia. 
She is survived by her son Ken and daughter-in-law Amanda and her grand-children

Samantha and Nathaniel. She is also survived by hundreds of devoted friends locally and globally. Marcia was known for her incredible warmth and generosity and will be dearly missed by all. Her husband, Edward McColgan, passed away earlier this year. Her memory will be a blessing and her acts of kindness and good deeds will live on in this community and around the world. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Funeral service will be at Congregation B’nai Israel on Tuesday at 1 pm. CZELUSNIAK FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE, please go to czelusniakfuneralhome.com for online condolences. 

Tribute to Marcia from her Wellesley roommate, Carol Tropp Schreiber

Marcia had said recently that her happiest life experience was her four years as a
Wellesley student. Marcia's life at Wellesley was filled with accomplishments,
academic and college-wide. She was a political science major; worked with key
members of the political science faculty. She was a writer of the 62 Junior Show.
She was elected President of College Government.

After Wellesley graduation, she moved to New York with fellow Junior
Show composer, Nora Ephron, who remained a life-long friend. In NYC,
Marcia worked for Adlai Stevenson at the US Mission for the UN. Working for
Adlai Stevenson was a source of great pride. Among other positions, she worked
for Planned Parenthood of New York. She was particularly proud of the Planned
Parenthood placards she developed and arranged to be placed throughout the
NYC subway system. This was a meaningful social statement in 1965.

In 1968, Marcia moved with her family to Northampton, MA where sons Ken and
Dan grew up. She earned an M.A. in Urban Studies at Smith College. As her sons
matured, she took on different assignments, one of which was as Chief Aide to
the Mayor of Northampton. In that position she initiated projects to improve
Northampton economically. She was also active in Democratic politics in western
MA. Different work included developing, leading trips, tours to China, plus Roots
trips to Eastern Europe. She arranged for and escorted the Chinese Ping Pong
team tour of the US, a highly publicized event. Her achievements were local and
global.

During her years of global group travel, she developed an increasing number of
colleagues, friends throughout the US and the world. These relationships
flourished through her later years, when she continued to communicate with
friends, recent and long-term, regularly. Marcia's priority was always people, and
her many relationships. She nurtured family, friends, colleagues, neighbors. She
called, corresponded, stayed in touch. She was my Wellesley College roommate,
a very close friend for 64 years. We were like sisters. I miss her in my life.