I’ve been visiting family in Oregon.  While I was gone, a very dear friend who was a keen reader of GMD passed away.  

Although she was born in St. Albans City 87 years ago, and ended her life in the same town, the passing of this tireless civic volunteer will not be marked by the City in any way other than with relief; for Marie Limoges was the articulate and scolding voice of civic and environmental responsibility, whose letters to the editor seldom failed to find their mark.

We, her many friends and co-advocates will gather to remember her at her home this Saturday afternoon.

My tribute sent to the Messenger:

With the passing of Marie Limoges, I have lost a hero.  

She was one of the most intelligent and perceptive people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. It was to Marie that I turned countless times in the recent past to discuss ideas large and small and benefit from her keen observations.

Through a lifetime of personal challenges, Marie raised a family on her own, had an impressive career in the civil service and never ceased to educate herself, remaining current to the end of her life.

She was particularly devoted to the study of history and archaeology, and she was always proud to be an adventurous outlier.

Some of her best personal stories reached back to her days living overseas in postwar Japan, where she was not content to remain cloistered on the base like a typical officer’s wife, but ventured out into the community to make new friends and learn about the lives of the Japanese people.

That was typical of Marie, who never chose the path of least resistance, but rather plunged headfirst into new ideas and experiences.

Her interests were grounded in human history, and she even worked archaeological digs later in life; but her mind was evergreen and razor sharp.

Marie’s zeal as a sustainable living activist only grew with age and physical incapacity.  She embraced her own mortality and sighted along the lines of the future, concerning herself with our quality of life long after she has left us.

Access to the internet breathed new-life and possibility into Marie when she was no longer physically well enough to move about freely.  It allowed her to remain informed and in lively conversation with her many friends and colleagues in the

Responsible Development movement.  Her frequent letters-to-the-editor were exemplary, both for their vigor and for their articulation.

If she leaves us with one single lesson, it is that we are never too old to have a stake in the future.