---

Editor’s note: To make the online memorials special, we accept articles written by someone in the branch. Include fond memories, appreciation for her activities in the branch, whether she was an art, letters or music member, and something about her creative works and achievements. Always include date and age at time of death. Please also send photos of the member and of her work, or commentary about her creativity. Submissions for the In Memoriam webpage follow the deadlines for the The Pen Woman magazine.

---

We honor the lives of these departed Pen Women…

---

---

Donna Solin, Golden Gate-Marin Branch

1942-2024

Donna Solin was a beloved, long-time artist member of the Golden Gate-Marin Branch. She volunteered as membership chair for many years. She was very active in other arts organizations as well.

Donna was a founding member of the Indian Valley Artists and played an important role in Marin Museum of Contemporary Art’s development for four decades. She took on the very demanding role of coordinator of outside venues for the museum, enabling many artists to showcase their work throughout Marin County.

Donna was well-known for her wonderful animal portraits as well as plein air landscapes. She was very generous with her time, volunteering for the Humane Society as well as teaching, promoting community outreach, and inspiring countless art-lovers with her beautiful paintings. She was a sweet soul who will be missed by her family and friends — both human and animal.

— Submitted by Lucy Arnold

 

---

Francella T. Hall, Golden Gate-Marin Branch

1935-2024

Born in Yakima, Washington, Francella T. Kohls graduated from Seattle University in 1958 with a Bachelor of Art in education and became an elementary school teacher. Her art training was with accomplished artists in Lake Oswego, Oregon; and Belleview, Washington.

In 1961, she married Walter B. Hall, DDS, professor and chair at the University of Washington and later chair of periodontics at the University of the Pacific. They had two sons, Scott and Greg. Later, Walter served as a Marin County member for California’s Area Board on Developmental Disabilities.

Fran founded and was executive director of the American International Youth Student Exchange from 1981 until 2002. She supervised the exchanges of more than 4,000 foreign students to the USA and 1,500 American high school students to Europe, Asia, the Near East, Russia, and South America. Fran has lived in Spain, France, and Italy. She specialized in painting landscapes, seascapes, and florals. In addition to painting in oil and watercolor, she was a choral vocalist, and, with the endorsement of Beverly Sills, sang at Carnegie Hall.

In 2012, Fran joined the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club and helped organize civic and social events at the historic clubhouse, designed by Maybeck, in downtown Mill Valley. In later years, she downsized from her family hilltop home in Tiburon to a condo in Tiburon, and finally to “The Tamalpais” in Greenbrae. Fran always enjoyed a refreshing respite to the Monterey Peninsula, where she had a vacation residence and family.

Fran served as one of the two heritage and art commissioners for Tiburon for several years. She valued that role. Fran was linked professionally with the Marin Society of Artists, Society of Western Artists, the Landmark Art and Garden Guild of Marin, and the National League of American Pen Women. Her paintings hang in private collections around the world.

— Submitted by Anita Nelson

---

Pauline Rae (Anderson) Mounsey, Member-at-Large

Pauline Rae (Anderson) Mounsey, age 88, passed away on Sunday, February 2, 2025, in Sun City West, Arizona.

First and foremost, she was a mom and grandmother. She was an avid lover of the arts. She was a lifelong learner with a teaching degree and an art history associates degree. Her first love in writing was poetry.

Pauline was published in several publications and was also an editor and publisher of the Lucid Stone poetry anthology. She also wrote short stories and collaborations and was currently working on a memoir. In addition to her writing, she was an artist utilizing many mediums including oils, watercolor, conte, and pencil.

Pauline enjoyed living life to the fullest. Born in 1936 in Osceola, Nebraska, she graduated from Homer High School in Homer, Nebraska, in 1954 and continued her education to become a one-room schoolhouse teacher. After marriage, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband and two children. She even went back to college and earned an associate’s degree in art history.

Another love was writing poetry. Pauline enjoyed writing and networking with other writers and even co-published a monthly poetry anthology for a period of time. Beyond the arts, Pauline liked to stay active and was involved in several clubs and associations within the Sun City West community. She was fond of travel, even more fond of her grandchildren, and loved sharing in their accomplishments.

— Submitted by Patti Carpenter, daughter

---

Audry Louise Lynch, Santa Clara County Branch

When it came to the perfect Pen Woman, the pinup girl, the exemplary example of what a Pen Woman should be, it was Audry Lynch. She had been an NLAPW letters member for 30 years. She loved everything about being a Pen Woman and would attend every function, participate in every luncheon, and promote and encourage the newer members. Even when she was bound to a wheelchair, Audry managed to participate in all events.

She was a friend and mentor to me. I miss her and am grateful for the privilege of having known her.

Audry was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, graduating from Harvard University’s sister college, Radcliffe. She spent the majority of her life in Saratoga, California. Audry wanted to experience life. She wanted to go everywhere, and she wanted to do everything. There were very few places on the globe that did not give her a passport stamp. She even sailed down the Amazon River, which gave her the idea to write a children’s book about the customs and folklore of the Amazon.

Audry loved to write, and she spent many years researching and writing about John Steinbeck. She filled her house with unique objects from around the world and had a whole room with memorabilia, photos and objects dedicated to Steinbeck. If she wasn’t talking about Steinbeck, she was writing about Steinbeck or giving lectures about Steinbeck. She amassed probably the largest personal collection of Steinbeck books and memorabilia on the West Coast.

Passed down from her father was a devotion to education. Audry spent over 40 years as a guidance counselor in San Jose, California, ending her career at Bernal Middle School. In her spare time, she taught writing courses at the local community colleges. Students from those classes still contact her around the holidays to talk about the impact she had on their lives.

I could write volumes about Audry — there is so much more to say about her and the many lives she touched and influenced. She passed away at age 91 years young.

— Submitted by Luanna K. Leisure

---

Bea Hartman, Sarasota Branch

Bea Hartman was born on November 2, 1940 and died on January 13, 2025. She was a Sarasota Branch member and an author of two nonfiction books. “Florida Treasures: Fifty Five Great Sites on the Historic Register” was published in 2013 and “Florida’s National Historic Landmarks” was published in 2020. Both books are available at amazon.com.

Her books recorded the history of famous Florida houses buildings and sites. A Florida native for many years, Hartman dedicated her interests and passions to researching and acquiring important information regarding these houses and buildings as a written preservation with photos. She lectured and presented her book at many places including the Historical Society of Sarasota County.

Hartman worked as a preservation planner for many years in the state of Florida. A graduate of University of Florida, College of Architectural and Urban Planning, she had a master’s degree in urban planning.

A mother and a grandmother, Bea Hartman was proud of her family and their accomplishments. An intelligent woman, she enjoyed travel and involvement with friends and family.

---

Mary Louise “ML” Hopson, Des Moines Branch

Mary Louise “ML” Hopson, a Des Moines Branch letters member, passed away on November 5, 2024, at the age of 91. Born in Gowdy, Mississippi, on January 7, 1933, she moved to Des Moines, Iowa soon after high school graduation. Sitting in at local drugstores with civil rights activists, ML helped end segregation in the city. She remained an advocate for civil rights all her life.

After the death of her husband, Louis, and later her companion, Ben, and after retiring from working in a clothing boutique and later as a copy editor for U S. West Communications, ML joined the Alpha and Omega poetry groups, along with NLAPW. The author of two poetry books, she was known as a master of cultural storytelling and was one of the finest performance poets in the State of Iowa.

ML was chosen in 2000 by Humanities Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council to be on the nominating committee for the first Poet Laureate of Iowa. She was the recipient of numerous awards throughout her life, including poetry. Active in giving back to her community, she served 15 years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer for the state of Iowa, serving as the voice of the child in the courts.

She loved theatre performance, spending time with family and friends, master gardening, reading, and mentoring children in the schools. Having a great sense of humor and a warm personality, ML was a friend to many. Our branch will certainly miss her.

— Submitted by Pat Underwood, Des Moines Branch Vice President and Treasurer

---

Marnelle Rosalie White, Modesto Branch

Marnelle White, a NLAPW member since 1985, died in February 2025 at age 87. She had served as vice president, president, and parliamentarian for the Modesto Branch.
She had bachelor’s and master’s degrees in language arts and literature, and she taught English at both Oakdale High School and Modesto Junior College while practicing real estate as a licensed real estate broker.

White was a charter member and past president of Poets of the San Joaquin Chapter of California Federation of Chaparral Poets and served many years on the Poet’s Corner Committee in Modesto. Her writing was published in many places, including The English Journal, The Modesto Bee, The Stockton Record, Woman’s Compendium, Buffalo Spree, among others. Her writings were also published in three of her own collections: “Sometimes the Wind Blows,” “Thirty Pages,” and “Iris.”

Her career accomplishments were equally matched by her community activism, passion for politics, and service as a senior senator for Stanislaus County in the California Senior Legislature. She was honored as an Outstanding Woman of Stanislaus County in 2003.

Enduring Valentine

By Marnelle White

When graying fog creeps
and weight of muscle is lost,
and bones strain crepe skin,
and the moon and tides recede
know that I will love you still.

 

Virtue

By Marnelle White

Concentrated in consecration
all these many years
from youth to malady

Steadfast with love
plucking thorns
smoothing wrinkles

seeing to equity
with an unwavering
multi-faceted eye.

The essence of goodness
like energy, cannot be lost.
At the end, it simply converts

to another form.

 

---

---