Marguerite Gillett Haldeman

Marguerite Lucette Rittenhouse Gillett Haldeman of Fort Lauderdale, FL, passed away at the age of 97 on December 14, 2023. She was born in Miami, FL on September 20, 1926, to Fay Smith Rittenhouse and Adelaide Sterling Clark. After her father’s passing at a young age, she later acquired the last name of her beloved stepfather, Alvin E. Gillett. She graduated from Immaculata High School in Chicago, IL, and Chicago Musical College with a Bachelor of Music in Violin. She was a member of the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity and a charter member of its Fort Lauderdale Alumnae and Patroness Chapter (FTLAC). 

She married her husband, Harold Haldeman, Jr., on September 20, 1952, in Coral Gables, FL, and was devoted to him for 63 years until his passing in 2016. After Harold’s retirement in 1981, they enjoyed traveling for many decades extensively across the globe on their yacht, the Timber II, and on cruise ships to over 75 countries. She was a longtime member of the Lauderdale Yacht Club. Together they lived frugally, choosing to spend their money on experiences instead of things. They also supported charitable organizations and educational institutions, including the Salvation Army and the University of Florida’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Marguerite had a distinguished career as a violinist. Born into a musical family, she performed her first violin recital when she was 4 years old. In her 20s, she toured the country giving violin concerts at numerous high schools and colleges. After auditioning at Carnegie Hall in New York City, she was the recipient of the prestigious Walter Damrosch Scholarship, in which she received violin training at the Fontainebleau School of Music and Fine Arts near Paris, France. She was a member and concertmaster of many symphony orchestras, a few of which included the Miami Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Orleans Philharmonic-Symphony, the Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the Fort Lauderdale Symphony Orchestra. Marguerite also helped young musicians by providing free violin lessons for the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra. 

During her illustrious career as a violinist, she performed in numerous orchestras and ensembles at hundreds of concerts and played in recording studios for many famous and talented singers and musicians, a few of which included Placido Domingo, Pavarotti, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach, the Bee Gees, Liza Minelli, Crosby Stills and Nash, Kenny Rogers, Tony Bennett, KC and the Sunshine Band, Julio Iglesias, Natalie Cole, and Emilio and Gloria Estefan. She retired after a 50 year long career playing the violin.

She is survived by her niece, Catherine Panakos Neville, nephews, Alan Willis (Janet) and Larry Willis (Nancy), cousins, Leslie Linton Curtin (James) and Clark Vaughan, and many grand and great-grand nieces and nephews. She is pre-deceased by her husband, Harold Haldeman, Jr., brother-in-law Richard Haldeman, and sister-in-law Marjorie Willis. 

A service was held at the Lauderdale Yacht Club, and she will be buried at the South Florida National Cemetery.