Thérèse Grandy June 10, 1924 - October 20, 2011
Theri was born into a Zurich family. After graduating as a trilingual secretary, she worked for her father in a successful office equipment company, which she planned to take over after his retirement.
But in 1947 she encountered Moral Re-Armament and discovered in Caux's books and meetings suggestions for a different and effective life. She made some costly personal decisions and began working with Moral Re-Armament as a permanent, all-volunteer staff member.
In 1950, the Grandys traveled to the United States and Africa for extended periods. There she learned, she said, what it means to serve and do what needs to be done, without complaint. She made many friendships, some of them lifelong. Shortly after their marriage, Theri and Marcel were asked to spend three months in Cyprus to take over the work of Moral Re-Armament. Those three months became three amazing decades, the story of which can be read in their book Hope Never Dies.
Caux has always played an essential role in Theri's life and thinking, and she has never lost interest in what happens there and in all those who contribute to the unique atmosphere that is the "living fabric" of this meetinghouse. On the occasion of the funeral ceremony, a great number of testimonies arrived from all over the world, especially from the Middle East.
During the 30 years they lived in Cyprus, when the Greek and Cypriot communities were killing each other, Theri and Marcel were among the few people who could travel to both parts of the island. The Greeks and Turks each had thousands of friends abroad who actually told them what they wanted to hear from foreigners: You are absolutely right and you are the victims. The others are completely wrong and the opposing community is behaving in a barbaric and cruel way towards you. But Theri and Marcel never gave in to this easy way of making friends. Theri didn't want fleeting friendships based on flattery and false hopes given to both communities. They wanted to create lasting friendships, with transformed and responsible people, based on moral criteria and faith in God. This is how all of Theri's Greek and Turkish friends will remember her.
