Most people knew Maryamber Bosk as the woman who played Mrs. Claus at the Grand Wayne Center every November.

I took my daughter to see her every year and Maryamber always remembered her name, which I thought was astounding given how many kids must have visited her there.

People who knew Bosk a little better appreciated her as one of the finest actresses the Fort Wayne theater world has had the honor of knowing.

Bosk passed away on Oct. 17 at the age of 88.

Youtheatre director Harvey Cocks, who worked with Bosk in a number of contexts including a series of popular commercials for Concord Villages, said Friday, "She was the best and sweetest lady I have ever met in my life. I compared her to Helen Hayes. The same sort of petite, sweet lady."

"She was one of best comediennes I have ever worked with in the theater," Cocks said.

I asked a number of local and formerly local actors to send me some reminiscences and appreciations.

Brad Beauchamp – "The first show I ever did with Mary Amber was "Arsenic and Old Lace' at PIT - as it was known then - in the early 80's. Mary Amber was so nice and kind to me. I was a very young actor at the time. She had a lot of respect for the theatre and brought to the table a sense of professionalism. She never took herself too seriously but always took her art seriously, and she was very well respected for that. She always appreciated the art in herself, not herself in the art, and was supportive of everyone in the arts. She was great to work with on stage and she was a great audience member. During the run of 'Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?' she knew Leslie and I were engaged and gave me a card on closing weekend which contained a small reminder card called,'Ten Rules for a Happy and Successful Husband,' which has been on our refrigerator door for the past 18 years. She will be greatly missed!"

Leslie Beauchamp: "I can't remember the first time I met Mary Amber, because she made you feel like you'd known her your whole life. She was warm and gracious and had the most infectious laugh! Whenever I think of her, I immediately think of the sparkle in her eye - the one that let you know she had a great joke to tell, impossibly high heels that you just knew she put on in the morning instead of slippers, and false eyelashes that she was never without. Mary Amber loved everything about the theatre. If she wasn't in a show, she was often ushering or being an active audience member. The best, though, was being with her in the dressing room or green room and having the pleasure of listening to her stories! She had the most incredible life, and she was always generous enough to share a tale or two! Oh, she will be missed! She was a bright light in this world, and we are less without her talent, smile and laughter."

Melissa Long: "I met Maryamber in 1983 when we were both in PIT's production of 'Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.' She was absolutely wonderful. Completely professional but equally warm, funny and utterly charming. Most of the rest of the cast were young adults or students and Maryamber took on the role of 'house mother' to the rest of us. I was really amazed at her talent and wondered where Larry (Life) had found her. I then found out who her daughters were (Barb Richards and Jennifer Bosk) and realized that she was just another one of those wonderfully talented people, like Larry, like Harvey, who had the talent to be elsewhere....but chose to be here. Lucky us!"

Christopher J. Murphy: "She was one of the last in Fort Wayne theatre's version of 'The Greatest Generation.' I loved that little sparrow of a woman dearly and am profoundly saddened at her passing. Here's MY favorite Maryamber Bosk story...Maryamber was once the Bonnie to my Clyde in an inadvertent case of breaking and entering! This was in the days the Arena rehearsal hall had no facilities, requiring a trip to the empty (or so we thought) house/art studio next door. One night, having 'done our business,' Maryamber and I hung around to explore a bit. Needless to say we were shocked to walk through a curtain and find ourselves smack in the middle of someone's living room! In a manner more Laurel and Hardy than Bonnie and Clyde, we quickly fled the scene undetected (or so we thought). Back in the safety of the rehearsal hall, we were soon confronted by the angry homeowner who made her displeasure for the as-yet-unidentified trespassers known in a most vocal way. While the look of guilt and embarrassment on my face surely gave me away, Maryamber sat there calm as a cucumber, playing the cute and 'innocent' old lady routine to the hilt. Even OFF-stage, she was a better actor than I!"

Mark Dunn: "She was liked by everyone and I'm sad to her of her passing. I met her when I started getting involved with theater at Arena Dinner Theatre back in 96 and she was always a delight. I always enjoyed talking to her. It was always a pleasure to be greeted by her when I went to see a show or work at Arena. I know I can look forward to being greeted by her in the next life."