Marjorie Ford Obituary

Marjorie Leet Ford

May 15, 2016

Marjorie Leet Ford passed away in San Francisco on May 15, 2016 after a battle with lung cancer. Born in Oakland to Anne (née Samuelson) and Norman Leet, Marjorie was a graduate of Piedmont High and attended UC Davis as an English major. With family history in California going back to the 49ers, Marjorie considered herself a true San Franciscan, living and working most of her adult life there. Marjorie Roberta Leet and Phillip Lonnie Ford eloped to Oakland in 1991 to become Mr. & Mrs. Ford.

Among the things for which Marjorie will be remembered: how she'd throw open the doors of her home and welcome whomever was on her doorstep with incomparable warmth; that she could never, not ever, find her wallet, keys, or glasses when needed; her miraculous production of culinary feasts despite the fact that she had no sense of smell; that she never washed her car the entire time she owned it; her love of people, their lives, and their stories; her dog Blossom trotting down Hyde St. to spend the day at the local Chinese market; her infectious spontaneity, sense of humor, and undampable cheerfulness; that she had a 7 foot stack of New Yorker magazines in her house, and had read most of them; her admirable ability to remember detail; her copious letters and extensive notes; her ability to enliven or rescue many a dull occasion with her sheer effervescence; her love of the wildflowers and windswept blue skies of Oregon and the ancestral cabin at Elk Lake; her support of local charities; her Chinatown tours; her work on The Standard School Broadcast Music Makers series; her Peabody award; the renowned, twelve-year-running Public Radio series Tell Me a Story, where listeners heard famous authors read their own short stories, and Marjorie's intimate and candid interviews with those authors; the quirky and engaging novels The Diary of an American au Pair and People in the Park; numerous articles and stories for local magazines and newspapers; being a loving and supportive wife for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. With no children of her own, Marjorie was a unique and unforgettable mother to many. She is survived by husband Phil Ford of San Francisco and brother Ben Leet of Mariposa, and will be greatly missed by them, her family, and her friends.

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Published by San Francisco Chronicle from May 26 to May 29, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for Marjorie Ford

11 Entries

Laurie Beckner

February 2, 2019

I still think of Marjorie and the way she brightened every moment. A one of a kind woman. We spent many hours together creating ads for who knows what! Brainstorming, gossiping, talking about the latest writer she'd interviewed. I so wish I could ring her up right now!

Carol Sklenicka

April 20, 2017

I was just listening to a tape that Marjorie gave me of two writers, Alice Adams and Raymond Carver, reading for her "Tell Me a Story" radio program. So I discovered the sad news of Marjorie's death just now, when I decided to google her for a correct address. She was very generous to me with several long conversations about those two writers for my biographies of them. And she's a really good writer. I hope her friends cherish her books.

Trisha Royce Daniels

September 3, 2016

Marjorie was my best friend in college. We both discovered, early in our friendship, that we each felt it was our job in this world to cheer people up. This wonderful obituary describes her to a T, so it would seem she never veered away from that path but just continued to become an even more funny, smart, kind, original and lovely person than she already was at 18. As somebody who had the very good fortune to travel life's byways with her for an all-to-short period of time, I feel she brought light (often in the form of humor) with her wherever she went. I miss her already.

Note: among her many accomplishments should be listed the ridiculous songs she composed based on subjects in our Physical Anthropology and Western Civ. classes.

Sandra Swanson

June 17, 2016

Our puppies are our angels, Blossom will be by her side and I will always remember the fun we had, despite our work and an almost topless cocktail. xos

Annie Horne

May 31, 2016

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

Chuck Cotten

May 31, 2016

It was an honor to have known you and a pleasure to feed you at the many parties thrown at Ann Flynn's home. You will be missed.

Ann Flynn

May 31, 2016

I had the lifetime pleasure of living with Marjorie and Phil at 1234 Filbert. I will always bless the day Phil convinced her to let me live in the little studio, she thought it was too small. But Phil figured since I came from NYC, it would be a palace. He was right. Phil, you were the love of her life - and Marjorie will always remain a ray of sun and happiness.

Loretta O'Connell

May 30, 2016

Will the family please advise me if there is a memorial service? I would love to attend.

Loretta O'Connell

Loretta O'Connell

May 30, 2016

I worked with Marjorie at McCann-Erickson Advertising in San Francisco for many years and have seen her annually at our reunions....she was a bit of sunshine....always smiling, always seeing the fun and best of life...very caring of others and such a joy. I am so saddened that her light has gone out. I will now buy her books as I always meant to, and read her words so her words will still shine for me. My condolences to her family and other friends.

Loretta O'Connell, San Francisco

May 29, 2016

Midge Leet (Marjorie) was a high school friend of mine and I will always remember her generosity when lending me her sweatshirt to wear when I joined a club named BH (Baby Hospital), We had numerous classes together and usually sat next to each other. Math was our favorite class because of our quirky teacher. She and I had fun laughing together and he was a good sport to tolerate us. A few years ago when Midge was in Seattle presenting her book, she and her husband came to our home for dinner and we had fun reminiscing. Midge was a delightful character and will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. RIP Midge!!

May 27, 2016

I met Marjorie on the ship going from New York to London, where she was staying with the Rodney Rivers' family. We had a few adventures during the year she stayed in London and I worked for my PhD at Bedlem (Bethlem Royal Hospital), enough so that I was a character in her book on being a London au Pair, albeit with a different ending in the book. I never could get her to divulge who she had worked for who had treated her so badly, as related in that book. I never saw her afterword when she was a Ford but we corresponded every decade or two. In my mind she shall remain that quirky, creative, pretty 20-something year old forever.

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