Lucy Stensland Laederich, 1944-2019
One of the brightest stars in the FAWCO firmament is no longer with us. Past FAWCO President (1999-2001) and longtime FAWCO US Liaison, Lucy Stensland Laederich, left us peacefully on February 1, at her home in Bordeaux, surrounded by her family.
Lucy was an institution, an icon, a role model, mentor and inspiration to countless people. She was a resolute leader, an articulate and compelling advocate, a brilliant thinker, and a wise counselor. To many of us in FAWCO (as well in her home club, AAWE Paris, where she also served as President), she was a cherished friend as well.
Lucy's unstinting advocacy for overseas Americans made her greatly admired and appreciated far beyond FAWCO. She was instrumental in setting up the Americans Abroad Caucus in Congress, and was the motor behind establishing the annual Overseas Americans Week. She also served two terms as President of the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), FAWCO's frequent partner at OAW and in other endeavors on behalf of Americans abroad.
The FAWCO Board has voted to establish the Lucy Laederich Memorial Fund to honor and perpetuate Lucy's advocacy on US issues. There will be a tribute to Lucy at the Biennial Conference in Edinburgh as well as in the Summer 2019 issue of The FORUM. However, mere words cannot quite express how profoundly saddened we are to announce Lucy's passing or how great the void is that she leaves. All of us in the FAWCO family extend our deepest sympathy to Sarah and Jeremy, Lucy's children, and to her husband Olivier.