Marie-Jeanne Urchetti with husband Hugo (Photo: courtesy of Michele Urchetti)
by Michele Urchetti
Resident at Val Fleuri in Geneva, a medical and social institution for the elderly, after contracting Coronavirus (COVID-19), Marie-Jeanne Urchetti passed away quietly, without suffering, on Monday 13th April.
Born in 1930 in the Swiss village of Le Châble in Valais; from 1937 to 1945 she lived in Martigny, before residing in Le Bouveret and then St. Maurice. In 1945 she moved to Geneva with her mother, sister Suzanne and brother Pierre. Later from 1946 to 1950 she worked as a secretary at the Pictet Bank and SA Import Company, before leaving for England where she resided until 1952.
In 1956 she married Hugo Urchetti, a founder member of the Swaythling Club International. Always she took a great interest in the club’s activities, attending meetings even after Hugo had passed away in 2004.
At home, her secretarial skills provided invaluable support for the efforts of her husband, a man dedicated to the sport of table tennis. Most significantly, he was the President of the Silver Star Club for 50 years from 1954 to 2004 and for a decade the President of Swiss Table Tennis. The small typewriter was put to good use, eventually being replaced by a computer but not until after her 70th birthday; in good humour she did admit to experiencing teething problems.
A most active life, in 2017 Marie-Jeanne fell seriously ill, she spent some 36 months in hospital, underwent operations, her good humour never faltering, her courage manifest. She is sadly missed, she leaves a great void.