Marilyn Carol Lee-Mauger

Marilyn Lee-Mauger, a devoted educator, scholar, and lifelong learner, passed away peacefully on October 20th at the age of 80. She leaves behind a legacy defined by intellectual curiosity, exceptional teaching, and a deep love of literature, culture, travel, and the arts.

Marilyn graduated from Moorestown Friends High School in 1963 and went on to earn degrees from Cedar Crest College and the University of Virginia and continued graduate studies at Oxford, Sheffield, the University of New Mexico, as well as several internationally renowned literature programs. Upon retirement, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by earning a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Newcastle in England.

For 34 years, Marilyn taught English in the Haddonfield School District in both Middle and High Schools, where she was known as an inspiring teacher who encouraged students to think critically and write with clarity. A rigorous, passionate, and deeply engaged educator, she taught American and British literature, Advanced Placement courses, and writing, shaping thousands of students with her high expectations and genuine belief in their potential.

Marilyn’s professional reach extended far beyond the classroom. She served as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher in England and later received both the Fulbright Memorial Fund Award for study in Japan and the Fulbright-Hayes Seminar Grant to India and Nepal. She was also selected for prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities programs, including a year-long Teacher-Scholar residency in Santa Fe to study Navajo and Pueblo oral traditions. Her academic work brought her to the Smithsonian Institution, where she contributed research and writing to The Handbook for North American Indians.

Marilyn traveled extensively, loved art in all its forms, and approached the world with an explorer’s openness and a scholar’s precision. One of Marilyn’s greatest joys upon retirement was planning a yearly trip with her best friend, and fellow retired Haddonfield Middle School teacher, Joan Wodlinger. Together they explored cities all over the globe and there wasn’t a cultural experience that Marilyn would miss on the trips! She will be fondly remembered for her dedication to education, her generous spirit, and her belief in the power of the humanities to enrich lives.

If you would like to honor her memory, donations may be made to PBS WHYY or the Alzheimer’s Association.