Dear Ric and Gloria:

I purchased some Malteesers for Margareth today with the intention of surprising her since I know she loves this chocolate.  When I  called her and another person picked up the phone, I searched the internet and  found out that she has passed in November.  Margareth was an incredible poet and human being.  She presented a wonderful poetry reading in my class and gave away many of her wonderful collections to my students. She was an astute thinker, a lover of people, and a deeply empathetic individual. I will miss her. But I am honestly grateful that I had the privilege to know her, learn from her, and work alongside her. She was my fellow Brit and poet. 

 Gloria, I am deeply sorry for your loss. It was obvious that Margareth deeply loved you and you loved her.  Ric, your mother spoke so highly of you. 

Dear Ric,  

I first became friends with your mom when we were both working at U of M's Center for Social Research in the late 1970s. She was involved in the custody lawsuit at that time and another colleague (Dan Tsang) and I helped her to fundraise to cover legal costs. I grew to love everything about Margareth:  her warmth, wisdom, values and her impish sense of humor.  

She and Jean attended our wedding in DC in August 1985, where she made a lasting impression on my entire family; they still speak of her with great affection. I moved overseas in 1989 for what ended up being 25 years; while we didn't communicate as often, we still exchanged annual greetings and photos. When I moved back to the US in 2014 I got back in touch, mostly via text, sharing news and pictures.  I had hoped to make it to Minnesota to visit and regret that I didn't get there.

As I know you know, your mom was devoted to you: a more patient and wiser parent would be hard to find. I feel blessed to have known her and will always treasure her friendship and the wisdom I gained from her.  She was a truly remarkable woman.

With my sincere condolences for your loss, but also a sense of joy that we  had her in our lives for as long as we did. 

Robin (Sandenburgh)    

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you