Farewell M.L. Faunce; Chronicled Chesapeake Bay Life.

New Bay Books is sad to announce the passing of one of our authors, M.L. Faunce, who died on Halloween, in Gulfport, Fla., after a protracted fight with cancer.

M.L., 77, a fifth-generation Washingtonian who later lived in Churchton along the Chesapeake Bay, was a fixture in the pages of New Bay Times newspaper, which became Bay Weekly, after retiring from posts at the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

In June, her book, My Date With An Oyster and Other Stories of a D.C. Girl Discovering Chesapeake Country, was published by New Bay Books.

Less than a week before her death, M.L. wrote for the New Bay Books forum, which is posting short passages from writers participating in a workshop at Calvert Library examining Ross Gay’s bestselling “The Book of Delights.”

M.L. titled her delight Uncle Willy’s Oyster Roast.

New Bay Books publisher Sandra Olivetti Martin was M.L.’s editor both for her newspaper stories and her book.

“For over a dozen years, she was our stalwart and most enthusiastic contributor, making Chesapeake stories her own and sharing them with thousands of readers. She was an engine carrying our heart.”