New Life Adventure for Marco’s Quilt Lady

Marie Senechal joined the Marco Island Woman’s Club Stitch Makers in 1988, creating quilts for distribution to Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Shelter for Women in Naples. Ever since then, her name has been synonymous with the holiday quilts that she “stitches with love” for the children in the community. In December 2023, the Marco Island Woman’s Club presented Marie with a Certificate of Honor for her contributions to the club. 

Several local organizations have also received Marie’s quilts, such as St. Matthew’s House, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, and the Manatee Elementary School. Her quilts even made it to children in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and Haiti through the Airline Ambassadors International Program’s Miracle in Action. 

When it comes to her quilts, Marie was a woman on a mission. It takes about 12 hours or more to finish one, depending on the size, sometimes using over 100 pieces. For Marie, “it is about God’s children.” While she mixed and matched pieces of fabric, she would recite the first verse of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” and would add her own line, “With the Lord’s help, I am in charge of my fate.” 

Every woman Marie met in Marco became her honorary fourth or fifth daughter. Colleen Mescall was a neighbor, and Marie fondly called her “my fourth daughter.” “What I admired most about Marie is her self-sufficiency,” said Mescall. “When Marie first came to Marco in 1985, she did not have a car and would walk everywhere or get a ride from friends. Marie never owned a car.” 

One day in 2002, while walking on San Marco Road, Marie was struck by a truck and suffered severe injuries. She was confined to a wheelchair for a while but found the strength to bounce back. The accident did not keep her from her activities with the Council of Catholic Women at San Marco Catholic Church and the Marco Island Historical Society.  

Marie was also a talented and award-winning watercolorist exhibiting her iconic tropical landscapes through the Marco Island Center for the Arts, Art at City Hall, and Marco Island Foundation for the Arts (MIFA). She was the recipient of the MIFA 2020 Artist of the Year, and at 90 years old, she had no plans of slowing down. 

Art also brought Marie together with many local artists. In 2012, Barbara Parisi recalled admiring a beautiful Marie Senechal watercolor of coconut palms at an exhibit at the Marco Island Center for the Arts. They both found out that they are of French Canadian descent and had lived in neighboring towns in Maine. “During our 12 years of friendship, I cherished her wit and engaging conversations,” said Parisi. 

“I’ve been lucky enough to call Marie my friend for 35 years, and I will never forget her strong sense of independence, positive attitude, and her relationship with God,” said Claudia Phoenix. “While shelling by Residents Beach, I met this vibrant, petite, French-accented woman with perfectly coifed hair and a charming and sassy attitude,” Phoenix said. “My favorite Marie quote is ‘If you want something, don’t just complain that it isn’t happening, say or do something to make it happen.” 

Marie would drive her motorized scooter, which she named “Bentley” from San Marco/Collier to Lunch with Friends or to Winn-Dixie or to doctors’ appointments. This was how she connected with the community.  

According to Marie’s daughter Rachel, representatives of the Mackle Brothers visited Maine in 1970 and extolled the virtues of owning a piece of paradise on Marco Island. In 1985,Marie and her family visited Marco and bought a condo. But now, it is time to move back to Maine, where she will be closer to two children, their spouses, and four grandchildren. 

Marie is excited about her Maine adventure and plans to continue painting, creating quilts, and making new friends, and she will cover the walls of her new room with Marco’s tropical landscapes. Outside her window, Marie will find new inspiration from Maine’s brilliant fall colors of yellow, orange, and red, and can’t wait to taste freshly picked Maine apples. 

Cards and well wishes should be addressed c/o to Marie’s daughter, Suzanne Murawski at 6 Merrill Road, Westbrook, Maine 04092.