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THORNDIKE, Marguerite Marean “P.T.”, died Saturday, July 28, 2012, in Petaluma, CA, of complications of Alzheimer’s; she was holding her Dr’s hand. She was 84 years old. P.T. was a long-time resident of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, and more recently of San Francisco, CA.
She is survived by her daughters Persis L. Thorndike of Milford, MA, Leslie J. Thorndike Goetz of San Francisco, CA, sons-in-law J. Spencer Love and James Goetz, beloved granddaughters Talis Marguerite Thorndike Love, Madeleine Thorndike Goetz and Julia Thorndike Goetz, her sister, Joan M. Comstock of Venice, FL, nephew Steven H. Comstock of C O, former husband David Thorndike of Jamestown, CO, and many friends around the world.
Born in New York City on April 24, 1928, P.T. was adopted by Endicott and Anna Marean, and lived in Cambridge, MA and Jaffrey Center, NH. Starting in October 1938, the family lived for 10 months in Surrey, England. She was a 1943 graduate of the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, a 1946 graduate of the Winsor School in Boston, and earned an AB in Government from Radcliffe College in 1950.
During college, P.T. worked summers at the Oribe Tea Barn in Jaffrey, earning just enough to pay her tuition of $300 for Radcliffe, with the exception of her last year, when the tuition went up to $450 and she had to take out a loan. She spent the following summer traveling in Europe, and after going to secretarial school, was employed at MIT as a Senior Clerk in the Digital Computer Lab.
She married David Thorndike in 1957, and they bought the house at 24 Bridge St., Manchester, MA, where she continued to live after the divorce in 1976. In 1999, P.T. had a stroke, and thereafter spent more and more time in San Francisco with her daughter, Leslie, moving there full-time in 2006. She enjoyed the stimulation and people of the Castro district, whom she met on her daily walks. On trips to the East Coast during the summer, she would stay in Milford, MA, with her daughter, Persis. In June, 2011, P.T. moved into the Alzheimer’s wing of the Evergreen Nursing Home in Petaluma, CA.
At an early age, P.T. began square and contra dancing in NH during the summers, and danced with Ralph Page’s exhibition New England square dance group for a number of years. She took her daughters to the weekly contra dance in Fitzwilliam during the summers from the late 60’s until the dances stopped in the late 70’s. She picked up contra dancing again in 1993, in Concord and Cambridge, when her daughter Persis began dancing again.
In the late 60’s and early 70’s, P.T. sang in the Choir at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Beverly Farms under the direction of Robert Chisolm, as well as in various performances of Mozart’s Requiem. She enjoyed pottery, taking lessons for years at the DeCordova Museum School, and playing piano. When her children were in elementary school, P.T. worked in the school library, and later, taught pottery in the high school art department. She built a brick kiln for firing Japanese Raku pottery, and fired the kiln with several of her high school students.
A passionate cook, she threw wonderful parties. She started Hunky Dory Custom Cooking in 1976, rowing her double-ended Gloucester Light Dory around Manchester Harbor, offering coffee cakes and the Sunday NY Times to boats visiting the harbor on weekends. With a licensed kitchen, she cooked meals at home and brought them to her clients’ homes, and had a following not only on the North Shore of Massachusetts, but also in Pittsford, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, and California. Her catering business was halted by her stroke in 1999, although she continued to cook for visiting family and friends.
P.T. was a member of the Women’s Culinary Guild (now the Culinary Guild of New England) almost from the beginning in 1979, and served on their Board for many years, as Culinary Liaison to other food organizations, and as the Guild President from 1996-1997. She has always had an interest in food and wine, art and architecture, music, traveling, and meeting people. She had an easy smile and was modest about accepting praise, though she was acknowledged to be very good at her chosen profession."
Later in life, P.T. traveled to England, Ireland, Hawaii, Italy and France, and made several barge trips in France with friends. She enjoyed the travel, and especially the food and wine.
Her family will celebrate her life with a memorial hike to the summit of Mt. Monadnock, in Jaffrey, NH, in September. Since P.T. loved food, wine and good parties (with or without music), there will be a Potluck Celebration of her Life on September 16, 1 pm, at the house at 24 Bridge Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Parking available at Crocker’s Boatyard upper yard, two houses down Bridge Street from the house. Please bring a favorite appetizer or dessert to share. Questions; please call or text 508-282-0089, or send e-mail to persis@thorndike.name.
Condolences can be sent to Persis L. Thorndike, 11 Wayne Road, Milford, MA 01757.
If you'd like to send a story or remembrance to be posted on Petie's Memorial Website, www.petie.thorndike.name, please send it to Petie@Thorndike.Name.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to the Schlesinger Library, c/o Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, 10 Garden St., Cambridge 02138
Please enjoy this recipe that got Hunky Dory Custom Cooking started.
P.T.’s Sour Cream Date Nut Coffee Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350°F
Use greased and floured angel food cake tube pan
½ lb butter
1 C sugar
3 eggs
1C sour cream
3 C flour plus 2 tbs flour
3 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together butter, sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in 2T flour. Add sour cream.
Sift together: flour, baking powder, baking soda. Mix into butter mixture just until blended. Add vanilla.
Filling:
Part one: ½ C sugar
1tsp cinnamon
Part two: ½ C walnut, chopped
½ C dates chopped
Construction:
1st Layer 1/3 of dough
1/3 of sugar/cinnamon
½ of nuts/dates
2nd Layer 1/3 of dough
1/3 of sugar/cinnamon
½ of nuts/dates
3rd Layer Remaining of Dough
Remaining sugar/cinnamon
End with 3 ½ walnuts and 3 ½ dates placed on top of cake.
Bake for 1 hour.
She is survived by her daughters Persis L. Thorndike of Milford, MA, Leslie J. Thorndike Goetz of San Francisco, CA, sons-in-law J. Spencer Love and James Goetz, beloved granddaughters Talis Marguerite Thorndike Love, Madeleine Thorndike Goetz and Julia Thorndike Goetz, her sister, Joan M. Comstock of Venice, FL, nephew Steven H. Comstock of C O, former husband David Thorndike of Jamestown, CO, and many friends around the world.
Born in New York City on April 24, 1928, P.T. was adopted by Endicott and Anna Marean, and lived in Cambridge, MA and Jaffrey Center, NH. Starting in October 1938, the family lived for 10 months in Surrey, England. She was a 1943 graduate of the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, a 1946 graduate of the Winsor School in Boston, and earned an AB in Government from Radcliffe College in 1950.
During college, P.T. worked summers at the Oribe Tea Barn in Jaffrey, earning just enough to pay her tuition of $300 for Radcliffe, with the exception of her last year, when the tuition went up to $450 and she had to take out a loan. She spent the following summer traveling in Europe, and after going to secretarial school, was employed at MIT as a Senior Clerk in the Digital Computer Lab.
She married David Thorndike in 1957, and they bought the house at 24 Bridge St., Manchester, MA, where she continued to live after the divorce in 1976. In 1999, P.T. had a stroke, and thereafter spent more and more time in San Francisco with her daughter, Leslie, moving there full-time in 2006. She enjoyed the stimulation and people of the Castro district, whom she met on her daily walks. On trips to the East Coast during the summer, she would stay in Milford, MA, with her daughter, Persis. In June, 2011, P.T. moved into the Alzheimer’s wing of the Evergreen Nursing Home in Petaluma, CA.
At an early age, P.T. began square and contra dancing in NH during the summers, and danced with Ralph Page’s exhibition New England square dance group for a number of years. She took her daughters to the weekly contra dance in Fitzwilliam during the summers from the late 60’s until the dances stopped in the late 70’s. She picked up contra dancing again in 1993, in Concord and Cambridge, when her daughter Persis began dancing again.
In the late 60’s and early 70’s, P.T. sang in the Choir at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Beverly Farms under the direction of Robert Chisolm, as well as in various performances of Mozart’s Requiem. She enjoyed pottery, taking lessons for years at the DeCordova Museum School, and playing piano. When her children were in elementary school, P.T. worked in the school library, and later, taught pottery in the high school art department. She built a brick kiln for firing Japanese Raku pottery, and fired the kiln with several of her high school students.
A passionate cook, she threw wonderful parties. She started Hunky Dory Custom Cooking in 1976, rowing her double-ended Gloucester Light Dory around Manchester Harbor, offering coffee cakes and the Sunday NY Times to boats visiting the harbor on weekends. With a licensed kitchen, she cooked meals at home and brought them to her clients’ homes, and had a following not only on the North Shore of Massachusetts, but also in Pittsford, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, and California. Her catering business was halted by her stroke in 1999, although she continued to cook for visiting family and friends.
P.T. was a member of the Women’s Culinary Guild (now the Culinary Guild of New England) almost from the beginning in 1979, and served on their Board for many years, as Culinary Liaison to other food organizations, and as the Guild President from 1996-1997. She has always had an interest in food and wine, art and architecture, music, traveling, and meeting people. She had an easy smile and was modest about accepting praise, though she was acknowledged to be very good at her chosen profession."
Later in life, P.T. traveled to England, Ireland, Hawaii, Italy and France, and made several barge trips in France with friends. She enjoyed the travel, and especially the food and wine.
Her family will celebrate her life with a memorial hike to the summit of Mt. Monadnock, in Jaffrey, NH, in September. Since P.T. loved food, wine and good parties (with or without music), there will be a Potluck Celebration of her Life on September 16, 1 pm, at the house at 24 Bridge Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Parking available at Crocker’s Boatyard upper yard, two houses down Bridge Street from the house. Please bring a favorite appetizer or dessert to share. Questions; please call or text 508-282-0089, or send e-mail to persis@thorndike.name.
Condolences can be sent to Persis L. Thorndike, 11 Wayne Road, Milford, MA 01757.
If you'd like to send a story or remembrance to be posted on Petie's Memorial Website, www.petie.thorndike.name, please send it to Petie@Thorndike.Name.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to the Schlesinger Library, c/o Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, 10 Garden St., Cambridge 02138
Please enjoy this recipe that got Hunky Dory Custom Cooking started.
P.T.’s Sour Cream Date Nut Coffee Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350°F
Use greased and floured angel food cake tube pan
½ lb butter
1 C sugar
3 eggs
1C sour cream
3 C flour plus 2 tbs flour
3 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together butter, sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in 2T flour. Add sour cream.
Sift together: flour, baking powder, baking soda. Mix into butter mixture just until blended. Add vanilla.
Filling:
Part one: ½ C sugar
1tsp cinnamon
Part two: ½ C walnut, chopped
½ C dates chopped
Construction:
1st Layer 1/3 of dough
1/3 of sugar/cinnamon
½ of nuts/dates
2nd Layer 1/3 of dough
1/3 of sugar/cinnamon
½ of nuts/dates
3rd Layer Remaining of Dough
Remaining sugar/cinnamon
End with 3 ½ walnuts and 3 ½ dates placed on top of cake.
Bake for 1 hour.
