Alumnae Memorials

Marjorie Jane Willits Albright ’39 died peacefully in her home in Aptos, Calif., on Jan. 28. Marjorie received an M.A. in astronomy from Wellesley in 1942. During World War II, she was a calculator or “computer” to assess bombing damage to the Axis powers, first at MIT and then at UC Berkeley. A docent at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Marjorie was also an expert bridge player, an artist who worked in oils and oil pastels, and an avid golfer. Marjorie is survived by three sons, 10 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.

Randall Albright, son

Priscilla Plumb Eusden ’45 died in Lebanon, N.H., on Nov. 6, 2025, six days after her 102nd birthday. A chemistry major, she worked at Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Mass., until her marriage. She and husband Ray lived in Andover and North Andover, Mass., during his tenure teaching and coaching at Brooks School until his retirement in 1979. She was active volunteering as a docent at Hood Museum, participating in book sales and clubs, teaching English as a second language, and she had large, beautiful gardens wherever she lived. She was predeceased by husband Ray, sister Virginia Plumb White ’39, and sister-in-law Joanne Reiman Eusden ’46. Her son, daughter, daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and their spouses, two great-grandchildren, and nephews and nieces, including Catharine White O’Rourke ’71 and Andrea Eusden ’75, survive her.

Suzanne B. Eusden, daughter

Lydia Edes Jewell ’50 crossed the final bar on Jan. 12, closing a remarkable life defined by adventure, curiosity, and a lifelong love of the sea. At the age of 12 she got her first boat, a Duxbury Duck. Learning to sail sparked a passion that would chart the rest of her life. After graduating with a degree in political science, she spent 18 months aboard the 96-foot brigantine Yankee circumnavigating the globe. The voyage shaped her future in profound ways, and she co-authored a book, Yankee’s People and Places. In what proved to be her final adventure, Lydia was one of two members of her class to return for their 75th reunion.

Beth Jewell Faulkner, daughter

Audrey Havican Barberet ’51 of Storrs, Conn., died peacefully at home on Dec. 28, 2025, after a long illness. Audrey was active in local politics for much of her life, and was the first woman mayor of Mansfield, Conn. She enjoyed 64 years of marriage to the love of her life, Gene Barberet, and had two children, John and Rosemary. A French major at Wellesley, and later M.A. in French from the University of Connecticut, she was a lifelong Francophile and francophone. Her Wellesley scrapbooks are full of lively photos of her time in Little House, Olive Davis, and Tower Court West, and fond memories of her classmates, including Beverly Becker ’51.

Rosemary Barberet, daughter

Barbara “Bobbie” Hough Christjohn ’51, of Morristown, N.J., died on Nov. 23, 2025, aged 96. From Winchester, Va., she married Preston Arthur Christjohn, Jr. in July 1951. Barbara joined Preston in Venezuela and returning to U.S., they started their family (Arthur, Aimee ’81, Brian, and B. Claire ’89). A history major at Wellesley, she worked at the Winchester Fruit Research Laboratory, where her father was chief entomologist, and later at AT&T. She was active in Girl Scouts, a Sunday School teacher, English as Second Language instructor, and member of reading groups, the Masterwork Chorus (she last sang Handel’s Messiah, aged 90, at Carnegie Hall), and National Society of the Colonial Dames of America.

Aimee M. Christjohn ’81, daughter, and B. Claire Christjohn ’89, daughter

Dorothy Kerr Jessup ’ 52 died on Jan. 15. Dorothy was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on Jan. 20, 1930. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia. From 1973 to 1996 she taught sociology at the State University of New York in New Paltz, N.Y. As the coordinator of graduate programs for the sociology department, she was instrumental in creating a joint degree program with the social work program at SUNY Albany. She is survived by her children, Timothy, Nancy, and Margaret, and her grandchildren, Emily, Phoebe, Toby, and Geo.

Nancy Jessup, daughter

Marian Kniesner ’53, who had lived in Paris since graduation, died unexpectedly in her apartment there in October 2025. She fell in love with Paris after spending junior year there. She studied at Jussieu University, where she later taught English. In summer, she would be off on her moped or bicycle to see the rest of France or Europe. She would find a campground and paint watercolors of the surroundings. Occasionally, I, who have spent my life as a travel writer, would be her walking companion or a visitor in her Paris apartment. In recent years, she spent more time in the city, photographing the Seine or simply watching it, or visiting gardens in Paris and environs. She always made sure, however, that she was back at Wellesley at reunion time.

Phyllis Meras ’53

Nancy Freeman Regalado Horwitz ’57, a medievalist and professor emerita of French at New York University, died peacefully on Nov. 23, 2025. Nancy is remembered for her lively good nature and determined, empathetic interest in people and the world. Nancy loved being in the “bosom of family” and was a devoted sister, mother, and wife. She extended this sense of love, warmth, and security to countless friends and family and to dozens of graduate students who would sit at her dining room table seeking reassurance, guidance, and editing help. Visit an online celebration of her life at www.celebratingnancy.net.

Antonio Regalado, son

Dolores “Lolly” Wurtzel Siegel ’57 passed away on Feb. 17. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, she was an editor at D.C. Heath, taught English at Arizona State University, directed the Women’s Center at Cedar Crest College, and served as manager of corporate policies at Mack Trucks in Allentown, Pa. In 1987, the New York Times recognized her in the Academy of Women Achievers in America. She chaired Kutztown University’s board of trustees and was a founding trustee of the Fund to Benefit Children & Youth, also serving on boards supporting female offenders and affordable housing. She leaves her husband of 68 years, Sheldon, with whom she shared a birthday, sons H.B. and Harris, and grandson, Alexander, launch director for the Artemis Space Shuttle at NASA.

The Siegel Family

Susan Margulies Sheehan ’58 died on Feb. 18 at her home in Washington, D.C. On the first day of French class at Wellesley, Susan and I sat next to each other, and a friendship began. I was constantly amazed by her meticulous notes; they were as precise and neat as she was. She never missed a single point. She was brilliant, unwavering, courageous, and humble. Neither she nor her husband, Neil, ever put on any airs. I’ll always miss and remember her.

Debby Bogin Cohen ’58

Ann Hoare Snowden ’58, died on Feb. 11. Ann lived in Shafer, and though she left in her junior year to be near her family and love of her life, George Grant Snowden, in New York City—subsequently graduating from Barnard—she remembered her time at Wellesley with deep fondness. When her two older daughters were little, she and George took them to campus, leaving a lasting impression on her eldest daughter, who joined the class of 1985. George and Ann raised six daughters. She was thrilled that her eldest chose Wellesley, and delighted that two granddaughters followed. Ann is survived by her six daughters and nine grandchildren, including Katherine Ann Johnson Shepherd ’18 and Carolyn North Johnson ’21. George predeceased her in 1984. She is greatly missed.

Ann Snowden Johnson ’85, daughter

Priscilla Royce Fothergill ’58, my lifelong friend, passed away on Nov. 25, 2025. Throughout her long battle with Parkinson’s disease, Priscilla retained her upbeat spirit and interest in all around her. With husband Bill, she raised three daughters in Washington, D.C., where she was active in their schools until they were in college, then joined Bill on his overseas assignments in Morocco, Thailand, and Curaçao. Returning to Washington, Priscilla pursued a degree in social work and became an advocate for children up for adoption, a job she loved and at which she excelled. Two sisters, her daughters, and five grandchildren survive Priscilla.

Suzanne Swayze Patrick ’58

Claudia Wienert Moyne ’58 died on Dec. 2, 2025. Claudia was a lively spirit—smart and witty, with a keen interest in politics, penetrating opinions, and a clear-eyed vision of democracy. She was the first female mayor of Sea Cliff, Long Island [N.Y.], and a highly valued social studies teacher and department chair at Wheatley High School for many years. I can picture just how enlivening she must have been for her students.

Dixie Snow Huefner ’58

Elizabeth “Betsy” Turner Jordan ’59 died on Oct. 17, 2025. Betsy was the daughter, sister, mother, and aunt of Wellesley alumnae and the proud parent of four children. One of Betsy’s greatest loves was competitive swimming. Over her lifetime, she set more than 200 national and world Masters swimming records and was inducted into the Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame and the Wellesley Athletics Hall of Fame. After earning a B.A. from Wellesley, an M.A. from Radcliffe (1960) and a Ph.D. from UCSD (1987), she taught humanities at UCSD.

Amy Jordan Webb ’83, daughter

Christine Bruce Astley ’60 died on Dec. 30, 2025. Mom is finally free from her very long journey with Alzheimer’s and has peacefully transitioned into the next phase of her epic adventure. My brother and I were at her side; I still feel her incredible, energetic, and loving spirit, continually inspiring me. She always did things her own way unapologetically—a wonderful legacy of strength and creativity. A Zoom celebration of life was held in January, and an in-person celebration of life will come this spring or summer at a location and date to be determined.

Anne Astley Padnuk, daughter

Nancy Riddick Jordan ’61 died on Aug. 18, 2025. As I settled into my Severance room in September 195 on Nov. 7, I recognized that my next-door neighbor, Nancy Riddick, was African American, just one of two in our class. It was a situation I welcomed. Not only did Nancy become a friend, but for four years, five of our group lived in the same dormitory. We walked to the library together, skated on Lake Waban in the winter, and swam in it in June. My most special memories were the delicious Friday night dinners with Nancy’s family in her Cambridge, Mass., home. Wellesley wouldn’t have been the same without her.

Cynthia Kersten Doran ’61

Chartis Bell Tebbetts ’62 died on Dec. 29, 2025. She was my Wellesley dormmate and cherished friend for over 60 years. Chartis married Jack Langmaid in 1964, and moved to Cohasset, Mass., where she raised two sons. She was a political activist, working for Boston Mayor Kevin White early on and then ran for Massachusetts State Senate in 1992. She was committed to public policy and passionate about justice and equality. Widowed in 1987, Chartis married widower Ned Tebbetts in 1996. Chartis was devoted to her family and grateful for two wonderful marriages, five children, and six grandchildren.

Bonnie Cobert Millender ’62

Elizabeth “Liz” Elliott Bradner ’62 led a happy and purposeful life. She married a loyal husband and raised three successful children whom she singlehandedly put through Princeton and Harvard. When they entered, she sought a CPA certification and passed the exam with among the highest scores in Illinois. She rose to become comptroller of the Great Lakes Naval Base. Liz felt strongly about volunteering and devoted herself to organizations focused on women, democracy, and fiscal responsibility. Her generation’s commitment to slimness (à la Jackie Kennedy) and a dismissal of therapy left her anorexia untreated and led to complications from which she died. Half of her ashes will be released in the Grand Tetons as she wished.

Carolyn Elliott ’59, sister

Elizabeth Gibson Mehlin ’64 succumbed to cancer on Sept.17, 2025, in her farmhouse in New Sharon, Maine, attended by her two children, Chris and Lisa Mehlin. Known to everyone as “Stu” and deeply engaged in subjects as varied as geology, Chinese poetry, insects, Renaissance art, and marine biology, she took a real interest in people and was deeply loved by those who knew her. Her enthusiasm knew no bounds, and she passed without regret, having enjoyed a life full of “one adventure after another,” as she exclaimed on her deathbed. Stu is survived by her two children and her two sisters, Lelia Hendren and Eleanor Hale.

Lisa Mehlin, daughter

Barbara Ann Chase ’68 died peacefully on Sept. 9, 2025. After Wellesley, she went on to earn her medical degree from Tufts University and became a pediatrician, educator, and health care leader. A pioneer for women in medicine, she served for over a decade as dean for students and clinical affairs at Tufts University School of Medicine. She was deeply committed to mentoring students and fostering inclusive academic communities. Barbara raised three children, Nathan, Rachel, and Brian. She will be remembered as a loving mother and as a leader in health care

Brian Kramp, son

Ann Milstein Nimetz ’69 died at home in New York on Feb. 9, 2026. After Wellesley, Annie earned a Ph.D. in art history from Harvard with a specialty in Italian Renaissance painting. Known professionally as Ann Guité, her invariably modest, kind, self-effacing manner belied the deep intelligence that propelled her through many important roles in the art world—curator, professor, researcher, auction-house executive, advisor. We reignited our friendship in the late 1970s at Harvard where I was teaching and she was a curator at the Fogg Art Museum. As her cancer progressed, Annie relished the love of her two daughters and four grandchildren, who sustained and nourished her.

Diane Upright ’69

Sarah “Sally” Timberlake Warren ’71, my friend since Andover summer school in 1965 and freshman roommate, died peacefully and unexpectedly on Jan. 28. She was happily preparing a move to a retirement community near Duke University the next week. My sadness brought back memories of our teenage escapades at Andover and Wellesley, her love of music and theater (she built the spiral staircase for Junior Show), her plunge into learning Chinese, her adventurous solo travels, research, and teaching in Japan, Hongkong, and India, her choice to seek a doctorate in forestry a field that did not welcome women, her long academic career in that field, her love of her plants, garden, dog, cats, and weaving. Sally’s large, soft eyes observed the world closely, quietly, and wisely.

Lyn Tatum Christiansen ’ 71

Anne Mitchell ’72 passed away in Climax, N.Y., on Jan. 31. Anne was an expert educational researcher on child care finance and evaluation, and proprietor of Early Childhood Policy Research. She consulted for charities, state legislatures, and corporations. Anne served as board member, then president, of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She also was on the Greenville school board for 18 years. Anne was a supporter of Wellesley, civil rights, and democratic institutions. She was a capable plumber, mason, electrician, carpenter, quilter, and gardener, with a big heart for family and friends. Her husband of 43 years, Phillip Hershberger, daughter, Amelia Mitchell Hershberger, and grandson, Henry Porter, survive her.

Phillip Hershberger, husband

Karen Dolmatch Petrou ’75 president and co-founder, Federal Financial Analytics, author, Engine of Inequality, advisor to Congress on the Federal Reserve and financial services, and chair of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, passed away on Feb. 21 after a private battle with liver cancer. Karen was so much more than her retinitis pigmentosa diagnosis and didn’t require a guide dog until she was in her 50s. We met freshman year and kept in touch over the years. When I was working for Sen. Al Gore in the Senate Office Building, I saw this tall woman with much smaller men in dark suits. Karen was giving a tour of the Senate to Japanese bankers. After I shouted, “Hey, Karen” at her and she introduced me, she said she got some great cred from the bankers that she was friends with a Gore staffer. Vintage Karen.

Charlotte Hayes ’75

Anne “Tobe” Epstein ’75 died unexpectedly on Jan. 25. As a freshman and sophomore at Wellesley, her passions inclined towards art and archeology with Russian study for fun. However, she also discovered a desire for broader academic offerings and a preference for city life. which took her to U Penn to complete her B.A. From there, Tobe settled in NYC, drawn by its world class ballet, modern dance, theater, and ice hockey. She began a successful career in commercial real estate finance. Only marriage could take her from NYC to nearby suburbs, where she and husband Joel Barad raised their beloved son, Gordon. After retirement, Tobe volunteered for the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She enjoyed reunions with her lifelong Wellesley friends who will always remember her joyous humor, sharp observations, and intense curiosity.

Deborah “Debbie” Brandstater Gador ’75
Judith “Judy” Phillips Robertson ’75     

Joanie Dugan Gilbert ’81 died on May 23, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. Joanie married Dana Gilbert in 1986. After Wellesley, she earned a master of arts in teaching from National Louis University. Joanie raised her children and became a beloved and dedicated volunteer for her children’s schools, swim teams, and Our Lady of the Brook Parish in Northbrook, Ill. Joanie is survived by her husband, Dana, children Tommy, Robert (Graice Van Spankeren), and Ellen Gilbert, and her brother Bob (Sue) Dugan. I will miss Joanie, who was my special friend and adopted Wellesley little sister.

Denny Rainie Donovan ’79

Eleanor Pearson DeLorme DS ’78, cum laude, Durant Scholar, died on Feb. 17. She taught the French decorative arts at Wellesley and authored several books on the subject. Eleanor’s passing is a blow to l’Ancien Régime but a boon for the Celestial City: Please do not be surprised if some rooms at least have been refurbished dans le style Empire!

Stuart DeLorme, son