Bridge Blog 439: Maggie

I was instantly drawn to Maggie McNamara when I saw her playing at the old B&P Bridge Club during my first year of duplicate in 2005. Like me, she was one of the youngest people in the room. She was thin and attractive. And she had a feisty attitude as prominent as her Scottish accent.

So I was delighted and flattered when Maggie suggested that we become regular partners. In those days, I just showed up at games solo, as did she. What’s more, we were practically neighbors. She lived on Ripley Place then, not even half a dozen blocks from me. And she frequently needed a ride, which I was happy to provide.

I heard a lot about Maggie on our rides to bridge – her multiple marriages and her current dating (even old Gerry Fried was asking her out), the deaths of her children – all three had passed away, and her health problems, including her mastectomy and breast replacement. And then there was her book. She’d written this romance and published it. It was a source of pride for her and a marvel for the other players. I bought a copy and got halfway through it – it’s wonderfully plotted and the characters were well-drawn, but it was way overwritten. Monica’s mother loved it.

In the end, Maggie and I weren’t the best of partners. Our game was inconsistent and I was even less of a player in those days than I am now. Furthermore, some of the plays and conventions she was so certain about were just plain mistaken.

When she sold her house on Ripley and moved to Tonawanda, she didn’t need rides any more. She started playing more tennis and less bridge. And when Bill Finkelstein’s club moved to the edge of the airport, she was less inclined to make the trip over there. When she played bridge, it was at the Bridge Center and B&P. I’d only see her at the tournaments.

Last time I saw her, last winter, she looked faded, shockingly so. She didn’t say anything about her health, but I had a hunch that the cancer had come back. I was saddened to hear a couple weeks ago that she was in hospice, but not surprised. And then in last Sunday’s paper, a short death notice. She died on Aug. 25. Services had already been held.