Delphine Marden Reich

REICH, Delphine Celeste née Marden, age 79, of Alachua, FL, formerly of Miami, passed away on May 14, 2018. Dell was born on March 8, 1939, in Bridgeport, CT and was the daughter of the late William Walker Marden Jr and Mary McGill Richardson. Dell attended Roger Ludlowe High School in Fairfield, CT and Bay Path Junior College in Longmeadow, MA.   After graduation, she worked briefly for Harry Winston and an advertising agency in New York City.  She later worked at various times for Dooley Realty, Deltona Corporation and Carvalo Nurseries , in Miami, FL.

 

Dell was known to her family as the world's best wife, mom, cook and hostess supreme, a lover of animals, the outdoors and gardening, and someone who really cared about others. She had so much energy that she was always a whir of activity and rarely sat down. As a wife, she supported her husband Bill through numerous moves across the country in their long marriage, giving birth to and raising three children, acting as chief logistician on countless camping, boating and vacation trips with her family and overseeing a countless parade of pet dogs, cats, horses and other assorted beasts.  As Mom, she threw her energy into supporting all her kids' interests and their academic success, including Scouting, gliding lessons, horseback riding and other activities. She was an outstanding cook and hostess and loved putting on and participating in a vast array of dinner parties with friends in Miami and Land O' Lakes FL.   Earning the USDA designation as a Master Gardener, she had the greenest of thumbs, could make anything grow and spent much time outside nurturing her beloved plants.  Over the years, she gave freely of her time as a volunteer in numerous organizations, including the PTA, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Fruit and Spice Park, Vizcaya, the Red Cross, Alachua Public Library, Suwannee Oaks Animal Clinic, and Haven Hospice.  

 

Dell is survived by her loving husband of 58 years, William Frederick Reich III; a son, William Frederick Reich IV and his wife Neri of Virginia Beach, VA; a daughter Delphine Reich and her husband Dennis Brooks of Alachua, FL; three grandchildren: Marie Celeste Clark née Reich of Alexandria, VA; William Frederick Reich V of Honolulu, HI; and Leilani Delphine Reich of Virginia Beach, VA.  She was predeceased by her son Thomas Marden Reich who died in 1979.  She is also survived by her brother William W. Marden III of New York City and three sisters:  Liz Marshall of Hanover, NH; Sally Natale of Tucson, AZ, Stacey Marden of Sudbury, MA and Rachel Montgomery of Los Angeles, California. She was predeceased by her brother, Jonathan Marden, who died in 1980.  

 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 163 Lancaster St., Suite 160B, Portland, ME 04101