|
MARCIA KOHL OBITUARY
Publication: Boston Globe
Date: 03/16/23
Text: MARCIA KOHL OBITUARY
KOHL, Marcia (Gruhn) Of Newton, passed away surrounded by family on March 12, 2023. Marcia was the beloved wife of Ralph, mother of Laura Brecher and Susanne Liswood, mother-in-law to Dr. Paul Liswood,
grandmother of Sarah and Anna Brecher and Joshua and Amanda Liswood, sister of Shari Thompson, sister-in-law to Robert Thompson, and sister-in-law to Edward and Shelley Kohl and Dr. Kenneth and Edie
Margules.
She graduated Brookline High School in 1959. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 1963, Marcia met Ralph, a handsome MIT graduate, civil engineer and Navy veteran and theymarried the following year. She earned a master's degree at Columbia University in International Relationsand did research on the Middle East at the Harvard Center for International Affairs.
In 1974, she opened Marcia and Bea Antiques in Newton, with her parents, Bernice and Walter Gruhn. Upon retirement, Ralph joined her in the shop. She operated the store for 45 years until 2019. Her customers became friends andfriends became customers.
While owning the shop was her lifelong vocation, family was a priority. Marriedfor 59 years, Marcia and Ralph created an unbreakable bond which served asa solid, loving and supportive foundation for their family. In 2011, they took their family on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Israel, memories of which willbe treasured forever.
While Marcia battled cancer for more than 20 years, she never complained, was eternally optimistic, showed courage beyond the capabilities of most mortals, and was determined to beat this horrific disease. We will remember her every day for the rest ofour lives with love, admiration and awe. If we could only have had more time together.
Funeral services have been held. Donations inMarcia's memory may be madeto Dana Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284,www.dana-farber.org or Temple Emanuel, Newton, www.templeemanuel.com Levine Chapels, Brookline 617-277-8300 www.levinechapel.com
|
Alice Godfrey (Andrus)
What to say when one loses a dear friend of 60 years? Eight of us attended her personal and warm funeral held at Temple Emanuel in Newton, Marcia's home town. The obituary posted by her family says it all. Few humans could be a better example of courage, endurance and positivity than Marcia. Those of us who spent time with her were graciously enlightened on how to cherish and celebrate family, how to handle setbacks that come into family life and to keep alive the humanity and consciousness of ancestors, many of whom lived their lives with courage in the face of grave danger. I will be grateful in the years ahead of all Marcia revealed through her stories.
Many times, Colby and I, Ralph and Marcia would travel to a meet-up with the "Boston" group to share happy hours together. Newport with Mark and Jenni, South Dartmouth with Lil ank David, Williamstown with Margo and Bill, Dalton Ridge, the Cape with Nawrie's program at Wood's Hole, Halloween dinner at Sue Lane's ( she came to the door dressed as a witch.) Candleight dinner at Lucy's, at Ann and Frank's,with Ann's piano concert, at Luise's Cambridge home, at Jenni's in Bristol, at Robin's daughter's home in Newton, and most graciously, in Marcia's dining room filled with famiIy antiques. I may have missed someone; if so, I apologize. Mary Newman, Sue Lane, Helen Weinland and now Marcia. They must be regaling each other with stories and solving all the world's problems together, somewhere.
Edith Dulles
I've written before, but Marsha Gruhn Kohn keeps coming back to me despite the fact that she & I touched base after graduation only once or twice. She was one of those "unforgettables!" Part of it was her openly caring and insistent nature. An example: sitting next to her in Miss Schuck's political science class. I whispered, "Masha, I'm dying to go to the bathroom!" She looked me intently & told me, in order not to have kidney issues when I was older, it was critical I just back up my chair form the seminar table and go to the bathroom. Who was going to question her authority?
She did the same thing when she almost single-handidly organized the Intrrnational Relations Club's conference the Spring of our senior year. She pulled it together professionally, and it was a success.
According to her, only I called her "Masha." Her Boston accent was conspicuous in my Texas ear. She permitted me "Masha" because she knew it was an endearment. She is dear to me, and never leaves me.
Alice Godfrey (Andrus)
Remembering my friend, Marcia, today.
Karel Mortenson (Koenig)
Thanks, Alice!
Jennifer Macdonald (DeWolf)
Marcia and Ralph were gracious hosts and we always said they ran the best bed and breakfast facility in the Boston area. I will always remember Marcia a my Scheherazade because she told the best stories at our Boston group dinners and those stories made everyone happy, informed and wiser. I remember her with love...