Marie Kargman

KARGMAN, Marie (Witkin)
94, of Belmont, MA. January 11. Beloved wife for 70 years of the late Max R. Kargman. Mother of William and his wife, Lynn, of Cambridge, Robert and his wife, Marjie of Brookline, and Donna and her husband Walter of RI. Proud grandmother of Harry and his wife, Jill, Bess, Sophie, Kathryn and Kimberly, and great-grandmother of Sadie, Ivy and Fletcher. Marie also will be especially missed by her devoted niece, Vivi Brownstein. Born in Chicago, Marie was one of the first female graduates of DePaul University Law School in 1936. She served as a Public Defender and practiced law in partnership with her husband prior to his service in the Marine Corps during WWII. The family relocated to Cambridge after the war, while her husband earned his Ph.D in Education at Harvard. In 1951 Marie became Radcliffe's first part-time student to earn a Master's Degree in Social Relations. She was also the first Marriage Counselor/attorney to open a practice in Massachusetts. and was later appointed to the John F. Kennedy Commission on Women and Children. As Chairman of the Governor's Council on Home & Family from 1966-79, Marie was an outspoken advocate of educating women on their legal rights, and led the movement to reform the legal process governing marriage and the family, including the acceptance of no-fault divorce, and major changes in custodial and children's rights. She also became an activist for grandparents' rights and was involved in her grandchildren's lives, teaching them about the importance of ideas and the beauty of the world around them. In addition to being named in Who's Who in America, Marie appeared on the national TV show, What's My Line, was a regular guest on the Paul Benzaquin Show, and later appeared on the Phil Donahue Show to promote her book, "How to Manage a Marriage." An avid writer, she was also a frequent contributor to the Boston Globe Letters to the Editor section. Her papers are housed at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Jan 22 at 11:30 a.m. at Temple Beth El, Belmont, followed by interment at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. Memorial observance at the Cambridge home of Bill & Lynn Kargman, January 22, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Marie's memory to the Jane Addams Hull House Association, Attn: Michael Glass, 1030 W Van Buren, Chicago, IL 60607.

Brezniak-Rodman Funeral Directors
www.brezniakrodman.com
617-969-0800