Henri
de Marne rejoined “the Great Spirit” on October 15 in Shelburne,
Vt.
His
genuine warmth, curiosity, caring, intelligence and old-school French
charm coupled with an extrovert’s personality were natural assets
for a successful life well lived.
He
was well known for his syndicated newspaper column “About the House
With Henri de Marne” which ran in the Burlington Free Press and hundreds of newspapers across the U.S. for 42 years. As one of
the pioneers in the building science profession, he was highly
regarded for his expertise in all things related to the construction
industry.
He
was a builder, expert litigation witness, researcher, teacher, mentor
and lecturer as well as book author. Also an avid whitewater
canoeist, ski instructor, outdoor enthusiast, father, husband and
friend.
Born
in Paris, France, in 1925, to Paul Fievet de Marne and Jeanne
Bonifay, he received the French Baccalaureate in Law Study from “La
Sorbonne” University of Paris and later his MA from the University
of Maryland.
His
teen years spanned World War II. He volunteered with the French Red
Cross and then served in the army alongside Patton’s Second Armored
Division during the Siegfried Line campaign. At the war’s end, he
decided to immigrate to the U.S., as France was in turmoil and it was
feared that the Communist Party would take control. While applying
for his visa, he met his first wife, Muriel Mann, at the American
Embassy, Paris.
They
were married for 43 years and welcomed three children, Kitty, Philip
and Loretta, while located in the Washington, D.C./Bethesda, Md.,
area. He taught French at the Pentagon, the University of Maryland,
and St. Albans School for Boys.
In
1957, he left teaching to launch his long and successful career in
home construction, restoration, renovation and remodeling in Potomac,
Md. His company bore his name long after he sold it and relocated to
Vermont to follow his new passion — skiing!
He
began his ski instructing career at Bromley Mountain and then fell in
love with Mad River Glen in Waitsfield, Vt., where he taught skiing
for 20 years. His dream house was built on a hill in Waitsfield with
a panoramic view of the Mad River Glen and Sugarbush ski areas.
Destiny
called him to inspect a roof in Essex, Vt., where he met “the love
of his life,” future wife and devoted partner for 30 years, Susan
(Huyler) Donnis. He loved life and felt that every day was a
blessing.
His
family is indebted to the Wake Robin health care team for the skill,
warmth and caring. Donations in his memory can be made to Habitat for Humanity.
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This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2024.
When we purchased our first house in 1985 in Essex Jct, it was a very old house (a Sears kit house built in 1913ish), our realtor suggested we hire Henri de Marne to do the house inspection. I think we spent about 2-3 hours with him learning all sorts of amazing things about our old house. We bought the house and lived in it for 8 years. I contacted Henri (thru his newspaper column) a few times after that with questions about our old house. I’m sorry to hear about his death and his accident earlier in his life. He was so full of information and I enjoyed learning from him. I grew up in Bethesda and didn’t know he lived there before moving to Vermont. My condolences to his family. RIP Monsieur de Marne