Marnie Smith Wengren
(Editor’s note: This obituary was submitted by Marnie Wengren’s daughter-in-law, Tucker Smith.)
Margaret “Marnie” Lanphier Smith Wengren, formerly of Lincoln, died peacefully at her home in Lexington on March 8, six weeks before her 100th birthday. Lincoln was her home from 1957 until 1989, when she moved to Brookhaven in Lexington.
Born in Springfield, Ill., on April 21, 1916, Marnie remained proud of her Midwestern roots to her last days. Springfield was the home of Abraham Lincoln and in his second inaugural address, he said: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on…” Marnie was proud to live by these words. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she eagerly responded, “curiosity and gratitude.”
As a member of the First Parish Church in Lincoln since 1957, she served on the Prudential Committee (now the Parish Committee), the Deacons and many other committees. For the past 27 years while living in Lexington, Marnie attended Sunday services despite rain, sleet or snow. Her prayers were legendary among the church community.
Marnie graduated from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. in 1934 and from Vassar College in 1938. She married DeWitt Smith in 1938 and lived a nomadic life as the wife of a mining engineer while raising her four children.
In 1966, after her marriage ended and with an empty nest, she began a career in the Education Department of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She began as a volunteer, graduating to gallery instructor. Over 13 years she studied to teach on the Egyptian, Greek and Roman collections, as well as the American collection. She also spent two years working in the Asiatic collection, which introduced her to Hindu and Buddhist art, a field she was particularly fond of through her later years.
Among Marnie’s many passions, one in particular was her commitment to Lincoln’s deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, where she served as a trustee (1979-97), board president (1981-84) and overseer (1977-79 and 1997-2012). She also served as deCordova’s interim executive director from 1980-81 and was one of the museum’s longest-serving guides. She was inducted into the docent program in 1967 and remained active for over 30 years. In 1989, the museum dedicated the Marnie Wengren Education Room, and family and friends gathered at the deCordova to celebrate Marnie’s life at a reception following her memorial service at the First Parish on March 15.
In 1968, she married Richard “Dick” Wengren, who died in 1999. Marnie was not only a wise and thoughtful matriarch; she inspired many as role model and mentor. She will live on in the many lives she touched.
She is survived by her four Smith children, Henry DeWitt Smith II and his wife Kimie of New York, N.Y.; Susie Smith White and her husband Lindsay (Peter) of Cambridge, Mass.; Ellen Smith Harde and her husband Mike of Westford, Mass.; and R.L. Smith and his wife Tucker of Lincoln, as well as Dick Wengren’s three children, Martha Tattersall and her husband Robin of Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Ted Wengren and his wife Mary Eliza of South Freeport, Maine; Carla Ricci and her husband Russell of Providence, R.I., 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Services were held at the First Parish in Lincoln on March 15. Memorial gifts can be made to the First Parish in Lincoln, Box 6218, Lincoln, MA 01773.