Memoriam
FRITZI WOODS
Fritzi was a fun-loving, hard-working supporter of advancing women in all aspects of professional life. She took over the role as head of the Women’s Foodservice Forum, and worked tirelessly to have women step into leadership positions in that industry. Her goal was to re-shape the vision of what could be as women were elevated…
Read MoreLORNA WENDT
“In the best BG way, Lorna and I went deep fast and became friends. In addition to rooming together from Rio on, I joined her on an Outward Bound hiking and sailing trip in Croatia. I often told her that I enjoyed her dichotomies. A corporate wife who loved masks and costumes. Exquisitely groomed even…
Read MoreTHE HONORABLE ELLEN TAUSCHER
“It is with the greatest sadness in our hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, sister, aunt, and friend, Ellen O’Kane Tauscher. Ellen died peacefully surrounded by her loving daughter, Katherine, and the rest of her family. “Ellen was a force to be reckoned with from the time she was a young…
Read MoreMICHELLE ROCHWARGER
Michelle, who was 54, was the CEO of Strategic Resources Alliance, a successful west coast-based company in the staffing business. She was equally — maybe even better — known for her quiet and consistent generosity and a huge heart. She started her career as a social worker and really remained one all her life. She…
Read MoreJUDY H. MELLO
Although Judy was only a member of the Grove for a few years before she passed away, she was well known to many of the members as a Founder of the Committee of 200 and as former President of the First Women’s Bank in Manhattan. The Bank, established in 1975, was a creation of the…
Read MoreMARY LEHMAN MCLAUGHLIN
Mary attended the first Grove Retreat in Belize in 2001. Her daughter, Kate Lehman, is a TARA.
Read MoreGAIL KOFF
Gail founded the law firm of Jacoby & Meyers, the first law firm to break tradition and advertise on television. She was committed to affordable and accessible legal services to all. A founding member of the Grove, she was with us the very first year in Belize. Her focus on health was partly an outgrowth…
Read MoreMARILYN KAWAKAMI
“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” ― Rose Kennedy Many beautiful things have been said about Marilyn Kawakami, a founding member of the Belizean Grove. She…
Read MoreVERA KALLMEYER
I brought Vera into the Grove. I met her in the Galapagos and she was brilliant and fun, from Germany, and a PhD, MD. Her first reaction was “I never do girl things”… but she came to LOVE the grove. – Barbara Colwell
Read MoreDOROTHY HAMILTON
Dorothy Cann Hamilton was a member of the Belizean Grove for just a few short years, but she made a big impact on the group, as befits someone with a big personality and an even bigger heart. More exhilarating, though, was the impact the Grove had on Dorothy. Dorothy loved the camaraderie of the Grove…
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