Marguerite Ann Halversen

Dr. Halversen was raised in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago, born to John and Nancy Halversen on Sept. 19, 1963. By her high school days at Roald Amundsen High School she was deep into her love affair with books and writing.

She received her bachelor’s in English at Northwestern University, and earned a master’s degree from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and a doctorate in medieval studies from Michigan State University. Her academic life was driven by unabashed joy in the lesser-known wonders of medieval medical alchemy. Lesser known, that is, only until she found a way to share.

Her day jobs were in science communication at MSU – with the College of Human Medicine, for what is now University Communications, the president’s office, and the Legume Innovation Lab, applying her expertise in both writing about scientific discoveries and editing.

She also kept her passion in scholarship alive, teaching courses at CHM in death and dying, and attending the International Congress on Medieval Studies.

All these were ways to channel her zeal and the hilarious nature she was able to seize from life. Dr. Halversen was challenged by health issues for years, yet largely managed to make it look like an outrageous interruption of her beloved passions and pursuits. She was well-traveled and wanted to see even more. She was a voracious reader and sometimes had trouble letting books out of her house. She didn’t just love cooking – she loved feeding people. Preferably on interesting tableware, accompanied by good wine and a terrific glass of Scotch.

Dr. Halversen was hilarious and kind. She loved science and nature photography. She bicycled with a verve – completing the DALMAC three times. She adored kayaking and camping. Even as illness robbed her of some physical abilities, she never stopped believing she’d find a workaround to get back to her pursuits.

She could be single-minded – usually. She was insistent that expected babies would be best with Norse names (a favorite: Bergthóra). She would dive into a purse to paw through quarters searching for additions to her extensive collection. Once, she returned from a last-minute trip to Meijer having forgotten to buy mustard for an Easter dish, but with yet another kitten. There have been so many cats.

She listed her family, whom she adored without reservation, as her greatest loves. She met her husband David Wisner at All Saints Episcopal Church when both were Ph.D. students at MSU; their romance included printing out all 600 pages of her dissertation. They were married just shy of 29 years.

Their children, Brynne Elizabeth and Aaron Njal, also survive her. So do her siblings Kristen Bethancourt, John Halversen Jr., and Alice Reich; eight nieces and nephews; and cats Thora, Jasher, Sigurd, and Callie. Her sister Judith Holada preceded her in death, a loss she deeply mourned.

Visitation will be held 4-7 p.m. Friday, March 8, at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes East Chapel, 1730 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing. Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, March 9, at All Saints Episcopal Church, 800 Abbott Road, East Lansing, with interment to follow in the memorial garden.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Lansing or the East Lansing Public Library.