Margie Bennett

 Margie Bennett was my friend, my co-worker and my traveling partner on so many journeys of life. It was my honor to have her walk beside me in the halls of three different schools but she and I would always say that our best work was done at Nativity, bar none.  It was the school from which she would at long last retire. But that was not the end of her teaching career.  She continued subbing for several years and could not have been happier just to be in conversation with adolescents and guiding middle school students on their academic path.  It is rare to find a teacher who stays in it beyond the 4th decade just for the fun of it and to be in relationship with kids.  

Margie was one of the strongest women I have ever known. She stood up for herself, her staff, and her students no matter the outcome. She was always willing to stand in the breach to do what was right and suffer the consequences, come what may .  When the benefit of her students was at stake, she went head to head with fellow teachers, principals, presidents, pastors and even this vice principal. She knew our friendship could withstand it and it grew stronger because of her honestly and forthrightness. No one ever had to worry about what Margie would say behind your back; she said it all face to face. She promoted social justice from her first day in the classroom with the "No uvas" movement until her last with her fight for our DACA students and interns.  Sometimes the lesson plan took a flying leap out the window in deference to her preaching on racial or gender injustice.  You had to be ready for anything when walking into Margie's classroom; you would either encounter a hands-on math or science lesson or a deep conversation on civil rights.  

Her faith was a driving force in her life and she easily shared it with all she encountered. She called herself a "retired Catholic" but she never stopped living as Jesus modeled in the gospels and expecting the same in her students. As much as she wanted to leave the Church behind, it appeared to have been inborn. Her love for Notre Dame and Mother Mary guided her throughout her life.  Some would refer to her as irreverent but you could never argue that she was wrong about her stance on clerical abuse of children or even the sin of poor homilies.  More than anything, I will miss her witty quips about the Church.  

Visiting Margie after her stokes was one of the more difficult things I have ever done.  The person sitting before me in the wheel chair seemed only to be an image of who she had been; more like a vague memory than this actual human person.  Margie never lost her sense of humor.  I don't think that I ever laughed harder than the first time I saw her in rehab.  I was out of her line of vision and she queried, "Is Miss Allen still smiling?  If Miss Allen is still smiling we're OK." Oh yes, Margie, I'm still smiling.  With every visit she would begin our conversation with the demand, "Tell me a story.  What's been happening?" There was nothing she loved more than a good story of juvenile antics in or out of the classroom. 

It is the laughing I will miss the most.  We were never in each other's presence when we didn't laugh together and sometimes we shouldn't have been.  Faculty meetings are not always fun but she could bring levity to almost any presentation or difficult conversation.  I will miss our Happy Hours, our monthly breakfasts, her updates on graduates and the pride that we shared in the work we did together.  I will miss her irreverence and her spunk.  I pray that I will always hear her laugh ringing in my head and remember the good times we shared together.  Our friendship was a true blessing and I will carry these memories forth with love and devotion for Margie, my dear and loyal friend.