Lucy De Marchant

1926 - 2023

Lucy de Marchant
July 5, 1926 - April 27, 2023
Lucy Castro de Marchant, who grew up in Chile, designed couture garments from her San Francisco atelier and enjoyed exercise and the loving kinship of family and friends, died April 27 near her suburban San Diego home. She was 96.
De Marchant immigrated to the United States in 1957, and told the San Francisco Chronicle that her handmade crochet that garnered a celebrity clientele was inspired by "the love and special heart I put in raising my children." She was the matriarch of a family that grew as she retired and moved to Solana Beach in 1991.
There, she found new ways to flourish. She taught conversational Spanish, swam in the Pacific Ocean and welcomed frequent visitors. Pilates, she recalled, was "the best thing I've found" to replace the activities of her youth, including dancing and diving.
De Marchant, born July 5, 1926, in Santiago, was predeceased by her sister, Juana Maria; her brother, Sergio; and three children: Maria Cristina, Patricio and Arturo. She is survived by four children: Janine, Loreto, Cecilia and Lucy, and their spouses, plus several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial is scheduled for June 22 at noon at St. James Catholic Church in Solana Beach.