Maribel "Pidge" Waldo Molyneaux, Ph.D.

Maribel “Pidge” Molyneaux, age 91, of Swarthmore, PA, formerly of Drexel Hill, PA, passed away on March 5, 2026.

After graduating from LaSalle University, Pidge received her Doctorate degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. Over the course of her 26-year career as a Professor in the English Department at LaSalle University, Pidge had a profound influence on the lives of countless students and her many colleagues. She maintained relationships with her most beloved students and colleagues long after they had graduated and she had retired. In addition to her academic achievements, Pidge was an avid gardener and formed many long-time friendships with fellow gardeners both online and in person. Pidge inherited a love of film from her mother and passed that love along to her daughter, Nancy. The two of them spent years catching the opening weekend of everything from Oscar bait art house films to the latest Marvel or Star Wars spectacle. Their last outing together was to see “One Battle After Another” which Pidge wanted to win the 2026 Oscar. A lifelong crafter, in her seventies, Pidge turned to making and selling beautiful jewelry and in doing so created yet another circle of amazing friends, particularly through Clover Market and the Lansdowne Farmer’s Market. After selling her home of 50 years in Drexel Hill, Pidge moved to a condo in Swarthmore and, in a surprise to no one, again embraced and was embraced by the community there.

Sadly, Pidge lost her eldest son James M. Molyneaux in 2012, and both her eldest daughter, Jeanne A. Walsh, and her husband, James P. Molyneaux in 2015.

Family deeply mourning her loss are her children Paul G. Molyneaux and Nancy J. Molyneaux, daughters-in-law Carol A. Molyneaux and Regina Grabovac and son-in-law John F. Walsh. She will be missed by her beloved grandchildren Claire, Evan, Laura, Cecelia, John, Oona, Quinlan, Asher, and Juan Pablo and her great grandchildren Everett, Olive, Marina, Hayes, and Anthony. Also mourning her loss are her brothers Peter and Donald Waldo, sister Jeanine Powell, lifelong friend and brother-in-law Gerard Molyneaux, and many nieces and nephews

Family and friends are welcome to a Celebration of Life on Sunday, March 15 at 12:00 PM at the Springfield Country Club, 400 W Sproul Rd, Springfield, PA 19064.

Attendees are encouraged to think of a favorite memory of Pidge to write as a keepsake for her family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory to Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-southeastern-pennsylvania or the National Museum of the American Indian https://americanindian.si.edu/  would be appreciated.