Death Announced of Catherine Jeanne Spencer of Lyme, Scholar and Teacher

Catherine Jeanne Spencer of Lyme passed away peacefully at her home on July 27, 2026, after an extended illness.

She was born in La Madeleine, in northern France, on August 29, 1950, to Cyril Spencer, pro-consul at the British Consulate in Lille, and Paule Cagnard. Cathy and her older brother Philip enjoyed an idyllic childhood in Lille, France, with summers spent exploring, windsurfing and biking on the Brittany coast. 

Highly intelligent and intellectually curious, Cathy excelled academically from a very early age. She received her undergraduate degree at the selective École Normale Supérieure in Paris, followed by a maîtrise in archaeology (equivalent to a master’s degree) from the Sorbonne. While there, she was awarded the prestigious Agrégation in Lettres Classiques and went on to complete a Doctorat in French literature.

In the 1970s, Cathy embarked on her teaching career at Smith College, where she met her life partner and future wife, Mary Schroeder. This was followed by a year living in New York City and teaching French at the Lycée Francais, after which she joined the faculty of Connecticut College in 1985. She remained there as a tenured faculty member until her retirement in 2015, rising to chair of the French Department.

Cathy was the author of two academic books: La Tragédie du prince (Biblio 17, Paris–Seattle–Tübingen, 1987) and À Corps Perdus: Théâtre, désir, représentation (L’Harmattan, 2005). She also published some fifteen articles on seventeenth-century French literature and French cinema.

Cathy’s academic rigor was equally matched by an endearing devotion to her undergraduate students, who adored her in return. Her passion for French literature was conveyed with inspiration, warmth, humor and a radiant smile. In recognition of her gifts in the classroom, she was named Teacher of the Year in 1996. 

Together for many years, Cathy and Mary married in 2014. They lived in, and beautifully renovated, an 18th-century farmhouse surrounded by gardens, forest and wildlife. Dedicated conservationists, they also purchased a large parcel of adjacent wilderness and placed it under a conservation easement.

At retirement, Cathy and Mary discovered Santa Fe, New Mexico, acquired a second home there, and made biannual trips back and forth with their beloved dogs between Connecticut and New Mexico. They traveled often to visit Cathy’s family in France, surprising them with whimsical gifts. Cathy embraced Mary’s family tradition of horseback riding vacations in the foothills of Wyoming.

Cathy loved bicycling the meandering country roads of Connecticut, strolls on the beach with dogs and friends, and was an enthusiastic early adopter of pickleball, playing with friends in local leagues.

After Mary’s death in 2021, Cathy remained in Lyme with her dogs Rosie and Moses. As her illness progressed, she was lovingly supported by close friends and dedicated caregivers, to whom the family is eternally grateful.

Cathy is survived by her brother Philip, his wife, Brigitte, and their daughters, Louisa and Anne; and by Mary’s mother, Julie Schroeder, brother John Schroeder and niece Cate Schroeder.