Marcia J. Monbleau

Marcia J. Monbleau, a journalist, author, humorist, and devoted chronicler of life on Cape Cod, died peacefully following declining health on March 5th at Cape Cod Hospital. She was 82. A resident of Harwich Port for more than six decades, she became one of the region’s most beloved and distinctive voices — equally sharp and warm, and always unmistakably Cape Cod.

Marcia was born on September 27, 1943 in Malden, MA, to the Rev. Charles and Lola Monbleau. She moved to the Cape in 1955 when her parents were called to serve at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Harwich Port. A graduate of the Northfield School for Girls and Simmons College, she worked for New England Telephone before joining The Cape Codder weekly newspaper as a reporter in 1970. There she spent years covering the towns, characters, and quiet dramas of the Lower Cape with a wit that locals recognized and treasured. She had a rare gift for finding the human comedy in everyday life — the kind that makes you laugh and nod at the same time.

Her love for Harwich and the Cape extended well beyond the newsroom, which she eventually left to pursue a freelance writing career. In her 1993 book At Home: Harwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, she wrote about the town’s history and landmarks with the affection of someone who had earned the right to call it home. A number of books followed including, in 2000, The Inevitable Guest: A Survival Guide to Being Company and Having Company on Cape Cod, a spirited guide to the complications of being and receiving guests at an old Cape Cod house in summer. Readers who picked it up in bookshops around the Cape found themselves unable to put it down, and the book found a devoted following among both longtime residents and the very guests it gently skewered.

A familiar presence over the years at community and cultural events across the region, Marcia hosted a local television program featuring stars of the Cape Playhouse in Dennis where she was PR director for many seasons and authored the definitive history of the Playhouse in 1991 with a revision in 2001 in time for its 75th Anniversary. Her 2002 play oldfriends.com starring her long-time friend Pat Carroll and chronicling the long-distance, heart-felt communications between dear friends, had its world premiere at the Cape Playhouse and has since been performed in numerous theatres both in the United States and abroad.

Marcia loved animals—especially cocker spaniels and cows—and she loved her travels to the British Isles. Her eclectically designed Harwich Port home, affectionately named “Boghouse” reflected her love of all things England and New England.

Marcia was predeceased by her parents and her siblings, Nancy Monbleau Clapp, David Monbleau, and Ron Marshall (Milton Monbleau) and is survived and adored by numerous nieces, nephews and friends from around the country. A memorial gathering will be held later this summer. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the charity or organization of your choice.