Obituary of Meg B. Torbert

Meg Torbert , (Marguerite Birch Torbert) Born September 30th 1912, died on September 23rd 2011, on the Autumn Equinox. Meg was a woman of many talents. She had a long and full career. She was a professor, a design consultant, worked on films, was a curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, where she also edited the Design Quarterly. She consulted for the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in NYC, and later worked for the International Design Center doing private interiors. She was a world traveler both professionally, and with her husband Don. After moving to Santa Barbara in 1978 she took up painting which she had not done in 30 years. With lots of encouragement from Marcia Burtt who she met in a class, she began a new career as a painter. She showed her paintings at a number of galleries in the Santa Barbara area, and continued to paint up until about 18 months before she died. She was married to Art History Professor, Donald R.Torbert at the University of Minnesota for 43 years. Don died in 1985 and 15 years later at the age of 88 she married Arthur Hopmans of Santa Barbara, who passed away 2 years later due to an auto accident. She is survived by her daughter Stephanie Torbert, an artist from Minneapolis, William Morris, and 6 nieces and nephews, as well as grand nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her long time friend Marcia Burtt, and many other loyal and wonderful friends too numerous to list. A memorial gathering for friends and family is planned to take place at the Marcia Burtt Gallery in Santa Barbara at 2:00 pm on Sat. January 21, 2012. Memorials may be given to Hospice Santa Barbara.