Marian Macdonald

NORTHAMPTON – Marian Louise Van Horne Macdonald, 75, of Franklin Street, died peacefully April 17, 2015, at Baystate Medical Center. Her four children, the great joys of her life, were by her side. She was an exceptional combination of brilliance, wisdom, humor, love, strength, and clarity.
Her knowledge was vast, and among her interests were high culture and pop cultures, literature, football, dance, and cuisine. She engaged in her life with great passion, curiosity and true good sense.
A natural intellectual, she was always the smartest person in any room. She also had finely honed survival skills: she lived fully in the world. A great reader, she was also a tremendous teacher of writing and an editor.
Marian was never without a stack of books, from "Canterbury Tales" to "War and Peace" to Robert Parker's "Spenser" novels. She was humble about her years at Smith College, often describing herself simply as a writing teacher. In fact, in 1976, she founded the Center for Academic Assistance, now called the Jacobson Center for Writing, Teaching, and Learning, and directed it for many years until retiring in 2004.
Under her direction, the center became a model for other college writing and learning programs across the country. After her retirement, she became a professional editor, honing and guiding to publication the manuscripts of many.
She and her husband Ron, her greatest love, shared a joyous life together until he died in 2002. Married in 1981, they were true soul mates, lovers of books and language, train travel, bicycling through the hills of western Massachusetts, and were dedicated eaters of Maryland crabs during their annual pilgrimage to the Eastern shore. Their train trips were somewhat epic. She understood her husband's fear of flying, so they happily rode the Empire Builder to Seattle and The City of New Orleans to New Orleans to see the kids.
She knew more about football than most. She loved to watch her sons play in high school and college, and you knew when she was in the stands, cheering on her linebacker son on defense and special teams: "Get him, get him, get him!" She was also a big New England Patriots fan. Marian relished her weekly dates with her best friend Debra. Her television tastes were delightfully eclectic: she enjoyed "Top Chef" and "Brideshead Revisited," "Mad Men" and "Dance Moms." She also loved music of all kinds, from classical to some Led Zeppelin to Emmy Lou Harris and bluegrass, and played the piano well.
She was born in Breathitt, Kentucky, on June 2, 1939, the middle daughter of the late Robert M. and Elizabeth (Riddell) Van Horne. Marian finished high school at 16, graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in English, and in 1959 went to Yale University's graduate program in English on a Woodrow Wilson fellowship.
She leaves her beloved children, Rachel Simpson of Northampton, Maria Simpson of Tivoli, New York, Michael Simpson of Dallas, Texas, and Robert Simpson of Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
She was prouder of them than anything. She also leaves her grandchildren, Michaela Lindsey of Northampton, Henry and Julian Tynes of Tivoli, New York, Michael, Caroline, Elizabeth, and Cate Simpson of Dallas, and Aliyah and Robert Simpson of Croton-on-Hudson; her sons-in-law, Robert Tynes and Chris Hellman; her daughters-in-law, Jocelynn Simpson and Elisha Simpson; her sister, Liz Henking of Germany, a brother, Robert Van Horne of Fletcher, North Carolina; her cat, Sunny, and legions of friends.
A memorial service will be held in the Sanctuary at Look Park in Florence at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25, followed by a reception in the Garden House.
Gifts in her memory may be made to the Dakin Humane Society, P.O. Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101. The Czelusniak Funeral Home of Northampton has been entrusted with arrangements.