Thursday, April 21, 2016
Marydel and I had a long friendship, defined by frequent but intermittent periods of intense interaction. We did all the normal things friends do: played games always Scrabble, share anecdotes always about family, holidayed together mostly Deer Isle, but then other things more in line with the depth of the friendship, long road trips, cooking drawn out meals, sparing competitively over trivial things like hoarding documents, not so trivial in her mind. Marydel was at all times and firstly one of the smartest of people, intelligent and acute with her observations. With me she and her late husband Zach were the most generous people in my life offering even her home for me as a house guest in New York on several occasions. Del tolerated no deceit and she had an uncanny ability to see through to the truth. In that way she was the best person to talk through problems and get straight answers. It would be fair to say, despite that I did not see her for the 2 years before her passing, and because of my work and travel did not learn of her death for several months, that she became as close a friend as I have had and I miss her enormously. I am glad she had close and supportive friends in Maine, and that her last email to me was in character a happy birthday message in July last year, with all the gossip, her reading list, and no complaints about her failing health. Her mind was like a 16 year old's. Allan Branch (Australia)
