Marcia Reed Wythes
July 23, 1936-Nov. 10, 2025
Atherton, California
Born July 23, 1936, in Shanghai, China to Jack and Gladys Reed, Marcia Janice Cecilia Cecilia Li Mo Chen Reed Wythes lived her first five years in the French Concession of Shanghai, where she mastered the Shanghainese dialect. World War II required an evacuation, and the Reeds sailed to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1941, months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. A newly enrolled student at Punahou, Marcia continued her kindergarten year and the next few years as a student studying in private homes while the Army Corps of Engineers took over the campus for the duration of the war. The friendships and bonds created at Punahou lasted a lifetime, and Marcia’s mastery of Hawaiian Pidgin and “talking story” were bar none. Her love of Punahou and Hawaii were immense.
Upon graduation from Punahou, Marcia studied the next three years at the University of Washington and was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. A close family friend in Hawaii thought Marcia might be having a little too much fun in college and whisked her off to the University of Geneva for a year of study abroad. It was there that Marcia mastered the French language. Determined to settle back in Hawaii upon graduation, Marcia made a pivot and took a job in San Francisco working for TWA. It was in Lafayette Park, while tossing a football, that she met her future husband, Paul Wythes. A proposal thus ensued, and Marcia and Paul were married in Honolulu in 1961, honeymooning on the outer islands.
The newlyweds settled back in San Francisco, until moving to Fullerton for a job offer, where their first daughter, Jennifer Reed was born. Soon thereafter they moved to Palo Alto, where Paul took a job starting a venture capital firm (Sutter Hill Ventures) in 1964. Marcia joined the Junior League and instantly befriended friends for life. In 1967, their second child was born, Paul Morrison, Jr. Not long after, the family moved to Menlo Park, where their third child was born, Linda Elizabeth. Marcia’s children were her pride and joy. Her dogs and cats were a close second. The family eventually moved to Atherton, and Marcia and Paul traveled the world extensively, as well as having a grand time with their “FF&P Group” of friends. Marcia was an avid volunteer, giving back to the community which gave to her. She served on many boards, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, the University of Washington Foundation and was an avid supporter of Punahou, amongst many other local organizations.
Later in life, Marcia’s greatest joy was her eight grandchildren, Maggie, Reed and Whit Vettel, Alexandra and Thomas Wythes and Henry, Charlie and Ellie Knoll. She loved being Nene to all of them, and they, in turn, filled her with endless joy. She will be forever missed by her entire family, and we feel so lucky to have had our Mom/Nene, cheering for us and loving us all the way.
Marcia is survived by her three children Jennifer Wythes Vettel, Paul Wythes (Mai Mai), Linda Wythes Knoll (John), eight grandchildren, her brother Ross Reed (Terri), nephews and nieces. Her husband Paul preceded her in death in 2012. Her caregiver, Ana Fineanganofo, made Li Mo Chen smile every day. If you see a gardenia, or any fragrant flower, take the time to smell it…Marcia surely would have. A hui ho, Marcia.
If inclined, donations may be made to Punahou School (https://www.punahou.edu/giving/give-now) or the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (https://phs-spca.org).
