Marie Galanti In Memoriam - Santa Rosa, CA

Passed peacefully in her home in Santa Rosa, California, surrounded by loved ones, on October 10, 2013, at the age of sixty-nine. She was born July 31, 1944 in Montreal, Quebec.

Marie had a very accomplished career. Holder of a doctorate in French literature from the University of Kansas, she taught at San Francisco State University for six years, wrote or co-wrote five student textbooks, and for over twenty-five years, was co-owner and President of France Today and the Journal Francais, then based in San Francisco, the latter being the most important French-language monthly in the United States. At the age of 55, she attended law school at Golden Gate University, graduating with and in 2003, was admitted to the California Bar, eventually founding the law practice Galanti & Copenhaver, Inc.

Fluently trilingual in English, French and Spanish, Marie's interests reflected her constant involvement in the world around her. She did pro bono work for California Rural Legal Aid and for Sonoma County Legal Aid. Her memberships included the Chambre de Commerce Franco-Americaine, the American Association of Teachers of French, the Alliance Francaise de San Francisco, the National Museum of Women in Art of the District of Columbia (charter member) and the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Club. Her hobbies included travel, reading, opera and bird watching. Despite these wide interests and activities, Marie will especially be remembered for her good humor, her zest for life and her ready accessibility to anyone wishing to speak to her.