Margaret Bassett Stern - Obituary

argaret B. Stern, age 99, died peacefully on July 4, 2019 at Ginger Cove in Annapolis, MD where she had resided since 2003. Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1920, daughter of Jeanne Mordorf and Preston R. Bassett, Margaret lived in New York City and Rochester, VT. She received her BA from Wellesley College in 1942, and later her MA from Bank Street College of Education. A pioneer in teaching students with learning differences, Margaret tutored, consulted and gave workshops throughout the United States and Europe encouraging teachers to broaden their understanding of how children learn to read and do arithmetic. She collaborated with Dr. Catherine B. Stern and Toni S. Gould on developing and publishing the Structural Arithmetic and Structural Reading methods. She received the Orton Dyslexia Society Award in 1989 and the Bank Street College of Education Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in the Field of Education in 1998. An avid birder and naturalist, Margaret conveyed her love of nature in her landscape paintings. Margaret’s marriage to Fritz R. Stern ended in divorce. Predeceased by her parents and her brothers, Preston R. Bassett Jr. and Allen Bassett, she is survived by her daughter, Katherine Stern Brennan; her son, Frederick P. Stern; her brother, William A. Bassett of Ithaca, NY; grandchildren, Philip S. Brennan, Laura Brennan Moltz and Michael L.Stern and her great-grandchildren Josephine and Ty Brennan and Edward Moltz. A memorial service will be held at Ginger Cove’s Friendship Hall on July 20 at 2PM. A second memorial service will be held at the Federated Church of Rochester, VT on August 10 at 3PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY or the Ginger Cove Employee Fund. On-line condolences may be offered by accessing the Memory Wall tab at the top of this page.