Martha Ann French

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Martha Ann Simon French, known to friends and family as Marty, died Oct. 28, 2009.

Born Feb. 4, 1924 in Lima, Ohio, the fourth of six siblings, Marty earned a BA from Ohio State University and a masters of science in nutrition and education from Cornell University. She put her education to use as hospital dietitian at Miami Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and as a professor of home economics at DePauw University in Greencastle.

As chapter advisor to DePauw's Delta Zeta sorority, she supervised construction of the Evans Woollen designed chapter house, an award-winning icon of modernist architecture.

In 1952, she married Ray French who preceded her in death 2000. An active member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Greencastle and the DePauw Women's Club, she and her husband were avid collectors who traveled in the U.S. and Europe. She was also known as a formidable and lifelong bridge player.

She is survived by son, Thomas (Marsha), granddaughters Adrienne and Audrey, and by her sister, Jane Silva of Bakersfield, Calif.

Funeral services will be held at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church on Friday at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions may be made to The Ray and Martha French Acquisition Fund, Swope Museum of Art, 25 South 7th Street, Terre Haute, IN 47807.