From Thad

I write with a heavy heart to tell you how sad Simo and I were — and are — to hear of Marguey’s death recently. Though it has been years since we left our life in Paris and moved to California, Marguey is one of those special people whose memory has remained vital and vibrant among the friends we left behind. No doubt this is due to her remarkable qualities; to remember her many fine attributes makes me realize how lucky we were to spend time with her during those years.

When we first met at Yale, she was a freshman and I a senior, an almost unbridgeable gap in those times. But this was clearly not an impediment for Marguey. I recall how quickly this slight and brainy girl from New York made herself the peer of other students she wanted to know — socially, intellectually, emotionally. And there was an important aspect of whimsy and of fun about her that lightened our get-togethers and made her enjoyable to be around.

Years later, when we moved to Paris with Sara and Nico, she was quick to welcome us and generously share her experience and lore about raising bilingual kids in Paris. It was as if we had just picked up without interruption after New Haven, now both of us with families. Her insights about life in France were incisive, sometimes amusing, but never cynical. For someone with her impressive intellect and extensive international experience, it always struck me that she remained so positive.

There was never any doubt that she loved you and your fine sons beyond measure, and she most certainly knew just how deeply you all cherished her as a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I’ll continue to think of her, and when I do, I’ll see that impish, feisty smile of hers that was as special as it was precious.

Our thoughts are with you all as you fathom your grief at her loss.