April 22, 2022
de Marneffe, Francis
Francis Laurent Armand de Marneffe, a resident of Fox Hill Village in Westwood, and formerly a resident of Cambridge, died Friday, April 15, 2022 at the Mass General Hospital in Boston. He was 97. Francis was born May 7, 1924 in Brussels, Belgium, the son of Armand and Esther Magdalene (Loveday) de Marneffe. Francis was a psychiatrist and the Director Emeritus at the McLean Hospital in Belmont where a building was named in his honor. At the age of 38 he became the General Director of McLean Hospital, a position he held until 1987. Francis graduated in 1950 from Westminster Medical School at the University of London England, and did his internship at Muhlenberg Hospital. Dr de Marneffe did residencies at Kauikeolani Children’s Hospital, Mass General Hospital, and McLean Hospital, where he started as a second year resident in 1953. Francis was a pilot during World War Two in Britian’s Royal Air Force and was awarded the French Legion of Honor medal. He was also the oldest person to row in the Royal Henley Regatta at age 92, an event that he won in 1946 as a member of the King’s College Boat Club. Francis was the husband of the late Barbara (Rowe) de Marneffe and was the father of Peter de Marneffe, Daphne de Marneffe, and her husband Terrence Becker, and Colette de Marneffe and her husband Martin Trimble. He is the proud grandfather of Francesca and Caroline de Marneffe, Sophia, Alex and Nicholas Becker, and Elias, Delia, and Shane Trimble . A memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations may be made in his memory to McLean Hospital (https://giving.mclean.org/) and The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home (https://www.edithwharton.org/support/online-gift/).
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Francis was an amazing and interesting man with impeccable manners and great stories. He never lost his zest for life and will be greatly missed by his many friends. Our sincere condolences to his son and daughters. We will continue to think of him often.