On this Mother’s Day weekend, we would like to take a moment to honor Marian Silver – our dear friend and landlord whom Santa Fe lost late last month. Her life was long and storied, defined by good times, philanthropy, humanitarianism and an impact on the community at large.
Throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s, Marian “was” the Plaza. She and her husband Abe Silver were the third generation of Pechesky’s to own a store on the plaza, The Guarantee. In fact, Marian’s great grandmother started The White House back in 1906 and bought the Catron Building from Senator Catron in 1927. With a lineage of matriarchs, Marian was a joyful and powerful force as she brought in fashions to Santa Fe with the mantra of no dress alike.
Alongside Abe, Marian acted as a civic leader in Santa Fe – in addition to receiving the 2010 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, they also received the award of Philanthropists of the Year in 2013 by the Albuquerque Journal and the CHRISTUS St. Vincent Hospital Foundation. She served through leadership and financial support a long list of Santa Fe Institutions including: the Santa Fe Opera, the United Way, the College of Santa Fe, the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women, and the American Cancer Society. The list of her impacts and achievements goes on and on.
She is remembered as a joyous human being, always the first one to spot in a crowd with her festive spirit and cheer (not to mention her great sense of style). We will miss her greatly and will do all we can to follow in her steps.
