Obituary of Marie Balsara

Marie L. Balsara, 92, of Manchester formerly of Glastonbury, died Monday February 17, 2014 at home. Born in New York City on April 3, 1921 to Louise (Darre) and Bhicaji Framji Balsara. Maries' father, from Mumbai, was one of the very first citizens of India to become a U.S. citizen. He was a cotton buyer. Maries' mother Louise was a first generation American born to a Swiss-German mother and French father, John Darre, he owned a French bakery in New York City during the late 1890's and early 1900's. Marie attended school in Leonia, NJ and attended the New Jersey College for Women (now Douglass College) where she graduated in 1943. Upon graduation, she was employed by the Aetna Life and Casualty Insurance Company in New York City and in 1975 transferred to the Hartford Office where she eventually retired after 41 years. Marie was an enthusiastic gardener and maintained beautiful gardens at her home in Glastonbury for the thirty years she lived there. It was very hard for her to leave them and move, but in 2010 she moved to the Arbors in Manchester, CT where she resided until her death. While at the Arbors, she made new friends, including her primary caregiver Miriam Salifu. Miriam and Marie spent many enjoyable hours together shopping, dining and time at Barnes & Noble, Marie's favorite place. In addition to gardening, Marie loved music and her church. Marie and her sister Barbara grew up singing in the Presbyterian Church in Leonia, NJ. She also taught Sunday school and was a Deacon at the church in Leonia. In Glastonbury, she belonged to the First Church of Christ, Congregational where she was active in many church groups, including the Prayer Shawl Ministry. In 2009, she decided that access to the church was most important for persons with disabilities and donated the funds to construct a beautiful access area to facilitate entry into the church. Marie had many friends from the church and her career whom she stayed in contact with through the years until her death. She would travel to visit family until just a couple of years ago when her health prevented her from such excursions. Her love of music was evidenced by her love of Mozart and trips to New York City to attend performances at the Metropolitan Opera, along with support of the Connecticut Opera and Hartford Symphony. Marie is survived by her niece Frances Ann Ade and her husband Gerhard and grandnephew Nicholas Ade of Seattle, her nephew Alexander Montague Main, III of Columbus, Ohio and grandniece Victoria Elizabeth Main and great grandniece Amelia Bretz of San Francisco. Her brother-in-law Alexander Montague Main, Jr. of Columbus, Ohio. Marie was preceded in death by her sister Barbara Balsara Main formerly of Columbus, Ohio. A celebration of her life will be held on Thursday, February 27 at 11am in the First Church of Christ, Congregational, 2183 Main St., Glastonbury with a reception to follow in Schultz Hall at the church. A graveside service will be held on Friday February 28 at 11:30am in the Hackensack Cemetery in Hackensack, NJ. In lieu of flowers memorial Contributions may be made to the First Church of Christ, Congregational, 2183 Main St., Glastonbury, CT. 06033. For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com.