Darthea “Darcy” Crocker (Chandler) Marentette

BATH – Darthea “Darcy” Crocker Chandler Marentette, of Bath, and Small Pont in Phippsburg, died peacefully at home on Jan. 28, 2025, following a long illness. She was surrounded by family.

Darcy was born May 1, 1943, in New York, N.Y. to Fay Cowgill Chandler and John Chandler, Jr. Darcy’s most formative years were spent in Grosse Pointe, Mich., where her father was a headmaster.

Darcy attended Wellesley College and Wayne State University before graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University. On Sep. 12, 1964, Darcy married David Booth Marentette of Grosse Pointe at the Phippsburg Congregational Church. After a year-long honeymoon in Pylos, Greece, the couple moved to Brooklyn, N.Y. where they each taught in local independent schools. Darcy and David’s children, Serena and Elijah, were born in Brooklyn.

In 1973, after a trip in a Balboa motorhome to 46 of the 50 states, the young family put down roots in Eugene, Ore., where David received a teaching fellowship and Darcy became active at their children’s schools. When school was not in session, Darcy took the children on the best field trips: visiting the Oregon Coast, reading books at the public library, picking berries, attending plays and concerts, and participating in art and craft workshops.

Darcy and David instilled a love of travel in their children. In addition to the motorhome trip, the family travelled to Europe in 1977, where Serena and Elijah were baptized by a priest David and Darcy had befriended during their time in Pylos. Nearly every summer, the family crossed the U.S. to spend the summer with Darcy’s extended family in Small Point. Even after the children reached adulthood, Darcy and David enjoyed traveling together with them to places as far-flung as France, Hong Kong, and Bermuda.

Darcy had a wonderful eye and added beauty everywhere she went. Her garden in Eugene, Ore. bloomed many months of the year with plants such as hellebores, tulips, quince, daphne, or flowering apricots. Indoors, she sewed curtains, needlepointed rugs, wove on a loom, knit, and made clothing ranging from a doll’s evening dress to a camel costume that was subsequently altered into a lion suit and then a bear costume.

Her knowledge of international cuisine proved especially fortuitous for their life in Oregon. Darcy sent away to Brooklyn for tahini and made her own hummus when none was available in Eugene stores.

In 1980, Darcy began working for the City of Eugene taking minutes for meetings. She subsequently worked a succession of jobs at the City Hall, including positions at the Permit Center, the Public Works Administration, and the City Manager’s Office.

Darcy retired from the City of Eugene in 1992, later serving part-time as a consultant. She made lifelong friendships during her years working for the city government, to which she brought her warmth and humor. Other friendships were forged at the Eugene Public Library Board, the Fairmount Neighbors Association, and the League of Women Voters.

Darcy’s life was irrevocably changed in 2007, when David died following a fall while restoring a vintage steam locomotive in Portland, Ore. After that tragedy, she volunteered at a soup kitchen, took aqua aerobics classes, and spent time with both old and new friends. But the desire to move closer to her siblings and their families, to her children, and to her four young grandchildren, led Darcy to make the difficult decision to leave Eugene. She moved to Bath to live year-round in Maine in the spring of 2017.

Watching Darcy comfort her children, her grandchildren, and other adults, one could witness a genuine sense of compassion and a desire in her to make the situation right, beginning with a good laugh. Her children’s friends remarked feeling safe at Darcy’s home, regardless of the uncertainty that they may have felt at their own homes. She served as a splendid confidante to her grandchildren as well as to her children.

Darcy is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Serena Marentette Winters and Jeffrey Lytle Winters, her son and daughter-in-law, Elijah Chandler Marentette and Virginia Adams Marentette; two grandsons, William Lytle Winters and David Booth Marenttte II, two granddaughters, Darthea Alice Winters and Norah Powell Marentette. She is also survived by her sister, Abby Norling, her dear friend Barry Norling, her sister and brother-in-law, Becky and Rodger Cuthbert, her brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Sarah Chandler, and her brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Joan Chandler. In addition, Darcy is survived by 10 nieces and nephews and their spouses; and 17 great-nieces and nephews. Also counted among Darcy’s survivors is her loving mackerel tabby, “Bustopher Jones”.

Many family members and close friends helped support Darcy and her immediate family during the illness.

A family memorial and celebration of life is planned for the summer.

To share your thoughts and condolences with the family, please visit http://www.desmondfuneralhomes.com.

Donations in Darcy’s memory can be made to any of the following:

Good Shepard Food Bank of Maine (gsfb.org) or to:

Maine Maritime Museum (mainemaritimemuseum.org) or to:

the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (bbg.org) or to:

a local public library