Marnie Fahr Steyer, 78, died May 21, 2002 in her home in New York City. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray. She is survived by her sons, Hume, Jim, and Tom, her brother Sam, and nine grandchildren. Marnie graduated from Wells College, and worked for a time as assistant to the editor of Harper's Magazine and in television. After her marriage to Ray Steyer and the raising of her three sons, she attended the Bank Street School of Education in NY and taught remedial reading at Herron High School in Harlem for 15 years.

In memoriam, her brother Sam Fahr writes:

"In New York City, after her marriage to Ray Steyer, Marnie for a time devoted her love and boundless energy to Ray and her three sons. Later she was able to concentrate her efforts on the poor and dispossessed of Harlem, and on choral music. For a long time she taught remedial reading in Harlem at Herron High, which she called 'Heroin High.' Later she was a Prison Visitor at Riker's Island. She explained this added burden by saying that in that way she could keep in touch with her former pupils. Tirelessly active, she sponsored and raised funds to support theatrical, dance and musical groups among the young people of Harlem.

"Loving all kinds of music, she was especially active in choral music, singing at home and abroad in the New York Choral Society and the Canterbury Choral Society. At her funeral these two ensembles sang a glorious 'In Paradisum' from Fauré's Requiem.

"But through all these demanding years, a part of her heart was always at Ten Mile Lake. In 1931, when she was seven, she and her family first saw TML; in a sense, she never left it. Seventy years ago, things here were comparatively primitive. There was no electricity, nor running water. Kerosene lamps furnished uncertain light; wood first served for cooking and heating. People who wanted to travel on the lake often had to row or paddle. Outboard motors were scarce, small, and cranky. Families rowed to picnics on the Hillaway Sand Beach. Many families came en masse (except for fathers) in June and left just before school began in September. Consequently children got to know each other very well all up and down the south and lower southern shores. Young people made up their own games mostly in or near the lake. Card games filled evenings and rainy days. In this period, Marnie formed enduring friendships with, among others, Molly Brandt Bliska, Beth Carlson, Jean Stange, Katy Benbrook, and Judy Bryngelson.

"Though she lived in New York after the War, Marnie resisted the charms of Nantucket (preferred by her husband, where they usually rented for a period each summer) and came as usual to Ten Mile Lake. Eventually, she bought her place at Hillaway. Though she was not happy at all the changes in the Ten Mile Lake area, her love for the lake never faltered. She kept her small boat (once, Beth Carlson's) and swam every day. She regretted the coming of indoor bathrooms. Last year, though ill and frail, she continued to walk, swim, and fish. Only days before her death, in her New York home, she heard some complaints about our getting to the Lake later than usual. 'Lucky you,' she said. We knew what she meant."

Her friend Molly Bliska remembers Marnie as a young girl: " Marnie and I were summer playmates on the south shore of Ten mile in the late 1930's. I was 10 years old and and Marnie 13 when we were old enough to have exciting and wonderful adventures on our own. One, that Marnie loved to tell about, involved an overnight on my family's X-boat, the Molly B. Frequently we would sleep on the boat overnight, tied to a buoy in front of the cabin. However, one night we decided to be very brave and move the boat a short distance and drop anchor for the night. Imagine our fright and surprise when we awoke to find ourselves clear across the lake by the island! There was no wind, and it was a long paddle home! Marnie loved Ten Mile, and I will miss her company in the coming years, though I know her spirit is all around."

Marnie's funeral service, attended by hundreds of people whose lives she had touched, was held Wednesday, May 29th at Saint Bartholomew's Church, NYC. Memorials may be addressed to the Harlem School of the Arts, 645 Saint Nicholas Avenue, N.Y., NY 10030.

I am not related and have no other information.