Source: Orthodox Church in America
Bethesda, MD – Marie Olga Meyendorff (née Mojaïsky), widow of Protopresbyter John Meyendorff (+1992) fell asleep in the Lord in Bethesda, MD, on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at the age of 95. Born in Paris, she grew up in the large Russian community in France in the period between the two World Wars, Her father, Alexis Mojaïsky, was born in Kiev, fought in the White Army after the Bolshevik Revolution, then completed his education as a chemical engineer in France. Her mother Olga (née Weriguine), was born in Yalta (Crimea) and eventually settled in France after escaping from Communist Russia. She was an avid gardener, poet, and produced countless silk-embroidered icons, including the plaschianitsa (epitaphion) at the Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Chapel.
Marie grew up in various cities in France, moving with her family as her father took different job assignments. She was an active participant in church life, including the Orthodox Youth Movement, which was where she met her future husband. They first met each other by accident on the Paris Metro. After a brief courtship, they were married in January 1950 at the chapel of the Saint Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. In the following years, Marie gave birth to four children, Paul (1950), Serge (1951), Elizabeth (1955), and Anna (1959). During those years in Paris, her husband John was completing his doctoral studies at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and teaching at the Saint Sergius Institute.
In the fall of 1959, at the invitation of Father Alexander Schmemann, then Acting Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, the newly ordained Father John, Marie, and the four children sailed to America, where Father John took up a teaching position at the seminary. The move was difficult for Marie, as she had to leave behind all her family and friends and did not know the English language. Conditions at the seminary were spartan at the time, and the family of six had to live in a small, two-bedroom apartment on Broadway on the Upper West Side of New York. She learned English quickly, but kept her distinctive French accent to the end of her life.
In 1962, the seminary moved to its present location in the Crestwood section of Yonkers. Here, Marie immersed herself in family and seminary life. She interacted with student and faculty families, often helping with students’ children, and sewing more than one wedding dress for student marriages. During the long summer breaks, the family traveled north to Lake Labelle in Quebec, where they rented and eventually purchased a lakefront cottage. Marie loved to swim, take long hikes in the woods, often guided by only a compass, forage for wild mushrooms, and especially spend time with the seven grandchildren with whom she was eventually blessed. Her time in Labelle was always a welcome relief from the constant hustle and bustle of the seminary and New York.
After Father John’s untimely death in 1992, Marie remained near the seminary, where she faithfully continued to attend the chapel. She remained active as the Director of the Orthodox Christian Adoption Referral Service (OCARS), an organization founded through her initially informal efforts in facilitating adoptions of children for a number of Orthodox families. She was also a member of the Board of Directors for Religious Books for Russia (RBR), a non-profit that aimed to publish and distribute books in Russia before and after the fall of Communism in 1991.
Marie is survived by her brother Michael (Nina) in France, by her children Paul (Peg), Serge, Elizabeth Myers, Anna Meyendorff, seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements for Matushka Marie are as follows:
Tuesday, December 3
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Viewing in Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Chapel
3:00 PM Panikhida, followed by reception
5:00 PM Funeral Vigil
Wednesday, December 4
9:00 AM Divine Liturgy and concluding rites, followed immediately by internment at Oakland Cemetery, Yonkers, NY.
Luncheon at seminary following internment.
Donations in Matushka Marie’s memory may be sent to Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Rd, Yonkers, NY 10707.
May Matushka Marie’s memory be eternal!