Marietta was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka but came to England at the young age of just 6 after her father had passed away. Marietta’s mother was a jazz singer and, much to Marietta's disappointment, she didn’t inherit her mum’s singing ability, but life had other plans for her and ways in which she would reach hundreds if not thousands of people but more on that later.
After attending boarding school from a very young age, Marietta was keen to get out into the world and start working. After one or two earlier jobs she ended up at United Biscuits, where she stayed until retiring early to pursue her new hobby that she was fast becoming hooked upon, namely Bridge.
As anyone who knew Marietta well would attest to when she set her mind to something it was only ever going to be with 100% enthusiasm and Bridge was no exception as she set out to be the best bridge player in the world. That mission was put on hold when she realised that she didn’t only want to play Bridge, but in fact wanted to run a Bridge club & bring as many people as possible to this game she had fallen in love with. In typical Marietta style she didn’t take just one job on, she took on Richmond Bridge Club, Wimbledon Bridge Club and Hersham Bridge Club all at once and right from the start had positive effects on all three places, increasing membership numbers, daily table numbers and more social activities too and, thanks to that earlier career, the biscuit selection at all three clubs was considerably improved. In total Marietta was the WBC manager for approximately 7 years and the RBC manager for about 19 years.
Among the many memorable things Marietta brought to these clubs were the suppers and what can only be described as the bees knees of all Christmas Parties, tickets for these selling out at the same speed as a rock concert. Marietta played a significant role in being a part of the largest Cafe Bridge event held in the UK and raising life changing amounts of money for charity.
Not only was Marietta excellent in her own role as manager, but she also had the knack of being able to find and put together great teams around her either in a paid capacity position or as volunteers. Teacher, Tim Chanter relays a story of actually looking forward to his weekly bollockings from Marietta, a story I am sure a few others could relate to. This of course was down to her always wanting the very highest standards at the clubs she managed, a goal she certainly achieved year after year.
To some people, when first meeting Marietta they could feel maybe a touch intimidated, but in truth she was a loving, caring, sincere and loyal person with a mischievous sense of humour. On top of all this hard work running three clubs she still found time to take on a mentoring role teaching all she knew bridge wise to several people she thought showed promise.
Marietta continued to enjoy playing bridge herself, achieving many highs, of which representing England with her partner Janet in the Lady Milne would likely rank as her proudest moment.
To those that knew her best she will always have a place in their hearts, hearts that right now feel heavy and saddened at the thought of not seeing that cheeky smile sitting across the table from them one more time as she’s just made a doubled contract. The bridge world will miss her, thousands of bridge friends will miss her and quite simply the world will be a poorer place without her in it.
Two charities in particular were close to Marietta’s heart, Cancer Research and the RSPCA. As much as flowers are greatly appreciated, donations to either of these worthy causes at this time would be even better.
Marietta's service will be a small, family and close friends event but there will be a celebration of her life at Wimbledon Bridge Club on April 9th 2022, followed by a supper and bridge session.
Lady Milne Trophy Selection: 2015 (EBU)