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Molly Bennett Aitken Strouse and daughter Bridget Marks at a Hampton Class Horse Show. Strouse, who died on June 3, had a lifelong passion for horses. -
Molly Bennett Aitken Strouse was remembered for a fierce devotion to family and a fiery spirit. -
Over the years, Molly Bennett Aitken Strouse met many important people over the years, such as Hilary Clinton. -
Molly Bennett Aitken Strouse worked for years in Hollywood, meeting, and working with, stars such as Clint Eastwood. -
Molly Bennett Aitken Strouse and her granddaughters, Amber Alysworth and Scarlett Aylsworth.
ATHOL — Molly Bennett Aitken Strouse lived many vibrant lives in one extraordinary journey.
She was a Hollywood child, a nightclub performer, an equestrian, an activist, a mother of six, and a beloved member of the Athol community. But to those who knew her best, it was her loyalty, presence and larger-than-life spirit that will be remembered.
Molly was born on July 25, 1943, in Hollywood, California, to Mervin Dreux Bennett and Valre Vasilas and died on June 3 at the age of 81, surrounded by her family.
Her eldest daughter, Bridget Marks, said she hopes her mother will be remembered not just for her accomplishments, but for her flair, her fight and fierce devotion to those she loved.
“There were just so many wonderful things about her,” Bridget said. “She was a real force of nature.”
State Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, who knew Molly from childhood, remembered her glamour and presence vividly.
“Molly was like no one I had ever seen before,” she said. “She was always in full glam even if she wasn’t leaving the house that day. She loved her family more than anything in the world. Her home was filled with scores of family photos, as well as many of Molly with celebrities and politicians.”
Molly’s roots in Hollywood helped shape her style and love of performance. Her grandparents, Adolph and Grace Seidel, worked behind the scenes at MGM Studios during the golden age of film, Grace as a hairdresser for stars like Mae West and Hedy Lamarr.
Even as a child, Molly’s wide-ranging talents began to take shape. Family said she joked that she spent her childhood under Louis B. Mayer’s desk. She learned to yodel from her neighbor, Roy Rogers, took tap lessons from dance legend Eleanor Powell, and trained as an equestrian under show-jumping icon Jimmy Williams, a lifelong passion she would later share with her daughter Bridget.
As a teenager, she hosted her own variety show in Las Vegas called The Rounders Club. She toured with Nat King Cole, opened for Joe E. Lewis at the Copacabana in New York City, and appeared on “The Joe Franklin Show.”
“She was a very good dancer and was brilliant at reading sheet music,” Bridget said. “She always loved the bright lights, the big city. And I guess I inherited that from her.”
In 1965, Molly married inventor and scientist Alvin Marks.
“One of their first dates, he invited her to Washington, where he was giving a speech as a science adviser for President Kennedy,” Bridget said. “She was very impulsive, but she always followed her heart.”
They couple raised four children – Bridget, Sean, Frederick and Jacqueline – in Oyster Bay Cove on Long Island, where Molly immersed herself in charity work and equestrian events. She co-ran horse shows with her close friend Gloria Reinach and founded Riding Programs for the Handicapped in the early 1970s. She also served as president of the North Shore Auxiliary of the United Cerebral Palsy Association.
“She was extremely active in charity circles,” Bridget said. “Some of the horse shows benefited the U.S. Equestrian Team, the American Horse Shows Association and the AHRC.”
After divorcing Marks, she married Gerard James Aitken III in 1978. The couple later relocated to Litchfield, Connecticut, and then to Athol, where they ran Somerset Stables. They had two more children, Gerard James Aitken IV and Hannah Stone Aitken.
Though her lifestyle changed over time, Molly’s fashion remained fiercely her own.
“She was Madonna and Angelina Jolie before they were even born,” Bridget said. “She’d wear Uggs or Birkenstocks with Chanel suits long before it was a trend.”
She remembered her mother’s humorous flair and the strong bond they shared.
“When I was little, she liked to dress in mommy-and-me outfits,” she said. “There was a boutique in Greenwich Village called Kiki’s that made matching clothes for us.”
Molly’s boldness extended beyond style, as she was a sharp thinker with strong opinions. Bridget said that in her final days, that spirit stayed with her.
“Even though she was in this extremely fragile stage, she said, ‘I really wanna live.’ She always wanted to know what was gonna happen,” Bridget said.
Interior designer Michael Adams, a longtime friend, described Molly as “larger than life – totally over the top, totally fabulous.”
“She wore her Chanel suits, bags, and eyelashes like armor – never backing down, especially when protecting her children,” Adams said. “At her core, she was a mother who would do anything for her kids.”
He also credited her with encouraging him to pursue art school.
“She pushed me and said, ‘You can do it. Bury your nose in books,’” he recalled. “She changed my life.”
Joe Liebman, Adams’ husband, remembered her intellect and love for debate.
“If you were going to discuss politics with her, you’d better be prepared,” he said. “She knew every detail.”
Another one of Molly’s close friends, civil rights attorney Thomas Shanahan, met her through LGBTQ+ political circles. Molly was present at the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and served on the board of the Stonewall Veterans Association.
“She always stood up for the people who were unheard, the people who were unpopular,” Shanahan said. “She did it for her daughters. She did it for strangers. She did it for anyone who needed someone in their corner.”
That fiery determination, he said, was “classic Molly.” But underneath the boldness was deep compassion.
“She didn’t fit into a mold, and I think she understood what it felt like to be treated badly because of it,” he said. “She was eccentric, brilliant, and incredibly empathetic. That’s what drove her to fight for people.”
Shanahan also spoke about her values, describing Molly as someone who saw the world as a place worth caring for, and people worth standing up for.
“She left behind a beautiful legacy, look at her kids and grandkids,” he said. “She lives on in all of them.”
In her later years, Molly lived in Athol with her longtime partner, nightclub impresario Kelly Dunkle. The two shared decades of love, laughter, and mutual support.
Molly is survived by her children – Bridget Grace Marks, Sean Christopher Marks, Frederick Peter Marks, Jacqueline Lee Marks, and Hannah Stone Aitken – and her grandchildren: Amber Lynn Aylsworth, Scarlett Lee Aylsworth, Sean Marks Jr., Lucais Marks, Frederick Marks II, Alexander Marks, Gerard James Aitken V, and Sophia Aitken.
“She was a survivor,” Adams said. “At her core, Molly’s life can be summed up as a mother who would do anything for her kids, and a woman who lived fiercely, fabulously, and without apology.”