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Molly Kayes Ransbury (1939 – 2019)

Molly Kayes Ransbury (1939 - 2019)

Molly Ransbury passed away peacefully at Philip Hulitar Hospice Center in Providence, Rhode Island, with her loving husband at her side.

Besides her husband, Russell Bailey, Molly is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Betty Ransbury, in Fredonia, NY.

Molly was born in Dunkirk, NY, where from a very early age she was passionately engaged in exploring her world with a radiant spirit, insatiable curiosity and contagious energy for seeking and learning – a naturally gifted pathfinder. Through her Dunkirk teachers, librarians and extended family (crafting, acting, baking, reading, storytelling, rowing and fishing on local lakes and Great Lake Erie), sports, writing and editing and many other learning activities (especially Girls State programs and travels), she pursued a small-town life observed through grand, intense lenses.

After attending Alfred University and SUNY Fredonia, she was a devoted K-6 teacher for several years in Dunkirk, then completed her doctorate at Indiana University Bloomington. She later studied classical Greek culture and modern Greek language in Athens and pursued specialized studies in the Western Classics at St. John’s College Santa Fe and Asian cultures at the University of Hawai’i.

Molly pursued an exceptional career as professor, grant writer, program developer and administrator in higher education, first at Drake University then for over 25 years at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she was among the first female faculty. Her passion was broadly focused and included interdisciplinary, intergenerational and international programs. She was a leader in developing, funding and implementing innovative teaching, learning and research programs for students, faculty and affiliates. She wrote many curricular and research proposals, which were awarded $10 million in funding for many Eckerd and affiliate institutional programs.

Molly traveled and worked extensively in Colombia, Africa, Japan, the UK and Europe. She led many research study programs with an emphasis on England and Greece. She was most at home in spirit as a pathfinder, retracing Classical Greek life paths with students, faculty and senior scholars on the many research study trips she led throughout Greece. She contributed significantly to the administration and programming for Eckerd’s London Study Centre, often teaching and serving as resident faculty.

Molly was an exciting and engaging teacher, a voracious reader and a charming, fascinating book discussant throughout her life. Her contagious enthusiasm for the arts (especially music, dance and theater), for international education, and for the transformative power of education touched many lives. She was a dear and loving partner and a fast friend, staunch supporter, close colleague and mentor to innumerable souls throughout her rich life.

During summers she was an avid camper across the US and parts of Canada. She loved nature, especially birds and flowers. Her gentle, unique and whimsical aesthetic found personal expression in all that she touched, including her sense of fashion and decor.

Donations in Molly’s memory can be made to UNICEF, Oxfam, Amnesty International and the International Rescue Committee.