Marty's comments from the memorial

Mary and I were partners from the start in the development of Two Acre Wood, searching for land, meetings every week for years, designing the development, watching it grow and finally moving in in 1999.  Mary and Dave were stalwarts of the process and continued to be during the 10 years we have lived there.  Dave watches over the buildings and grounds and for many years Mary has been the tender of the landscape.  While she was able, she was out there every day – pulling weeds, planting things and keeping an eye out to keep it gorgeous.  Nourishing the garden as it nourished her, as her gardening companion Lilith said.

But Mary was also a lover of fun!

In the planning and design stage of TAW, we made sure to have outlets on the front patios for the margarita blender – this is how Club 21 was born.

One of the things about cohousing that Mary and I both loved was the casual, easy socializing that can be done when we all live nearby.  One person sitting on their front patio could soon result in a small party with each neighbor bringing a snack or a bottle of wine (or margarita fixings!) to share – no planning, no driving.  Mary dubbed these informal gatherings Club 21.  When a small child would come running up to grab some food and run off again, Mary would teach them to “take just one” and then join the conversation before taking another.  This discouraged some of the kids but also resulted in some fine stories from some of the little ones.

I brought this margarita glass for Mary’s altar in honor of the many fun Club 21 gatherings we shared.

But the fun didn’t stop with Club 21.

Mary had decorations stored away someplace for every occasion – Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day – we always made a party of it.

Going off campus too.  Mary, want to go see the Mime Troupe?  Sure!  Want to go to the movies?  Sure!  Want to go to Sea Ranch for Thanksgiving?  Sure!  She was up for everything.  Mary really knew how to pack her life full of fun and adventure.  When I heard they were going to China, I wanted to go too.  Mary was an amazing traveling companion.  She took notes and documented every story and fact, and didn’t miss a single possible side trip.  She wanted it all and she got it!  Somewhere I have her documentation of our China trip, which I ought to post on her blog.

And she had such a way with words! I am sure going to miss her witty conversation, great sense of humor and stories about women’s history.  There will never be anyone quite like her. Here’s to Mary (lift margarita glass)