Mireille Testud, a familiar presence at open-air markets who worked along her baker husband, died of heart disease Feb. 27 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Catonsville-Charing Cross resident was 88.
Born Mireille Court in Avignon in Provence, France, she was trained as a dressmaker. In the late 1940s, she met her future husband, Roger Testud, a baker who later demonstrated and sold commercial baking equipment. The couple moved to Baltimore in the 1970s. Her husband initially worked with Francois Borelly, also a baker. He also produced breads for local restaurants, including Marconi's, Sarabonde in Towson and the Greenspring Inn.
As a child, she demonstrated a love for music and became an accomplished piano player. Her teacher wanted her to leave her hometown briefly and perform in Paris.
"Her parents were protective [and] afraid of the big city. So she remained in Avignon," said Gerrit Marks, a close friend who lives in Catonsville.
Mrs., or Madame, Testud — or Mimi — remained a non-English speaker. Friends described her as bilingual, because she was fluent in the dialect of Provence and could also use the French spoken elsewhere.
Nearly 30 years ago, her husband and son opened an outdoor bread and pastry stall at the Waverly Farmers' Market. She accompanied them and was a constant presence, helping sell baked goods in downtown Baltimore on Sunday mornings and in Owings Mills and Towson. And while she spoke no English, she cultivated a circle of customers who frequently became friends.
"She chose not to speak English. It was always somewhat of a mystery just how much English she knew," said a friend, Art Cohen, who lives in Baltimore. "When her husband and son went to a community college to learn the language, she ducked out from them and joined a eurythmic dance class. That was a classic Mireille act."
Friends said Madame Testud was an accomplished dancer.
"She did enjoy large parties," said Mr. Marks, who bought the Testud business, which he has expanded with crepes and sandwiches and named Little Paris. "She was in every sense a party animal. She loved the gay disco scene of the 1980s. She put on her best clothes and would dance at the Hippo until it closed. As a couple, Roger and Mireille would be dead tired after a night's dancing, but after a few hours' sleep, they would be at the weekend markets."
Her friends said Madame Testud and her husband opened their home to friends and often entertained as many as 30 guests on a weekend. He did the cooking.
"She was a high-spirited woman and a charismatic lady who loved life. She was a regal presence," said Christine Polillo, a friend who teaches at Roland Park Country School. "She was a coquette and never said her birthday, and she never said her age. But whatever her age, she still wore youthful clothes. She loved the color white, too."
Ms. Polillo compared her to a character in the 1938 Marcel Pagnol film, "La Femme du Boulanger," or "The Baker's Wife." "Conventionality was not her style. She represented the French woman in the sense of being elegant, poised and welcoming. She was an open lady. She not afraid of saying hi to people she had just met. She was also current with the news. She was young at heart."
She recalled Madame Testud's fashion sense.
"She liked something light and transparent, and she still wore a two-piece bathing suit," said Ms. Polillo. "In the wintertime, it was hard to get her to wear something warm."
Annette Para, a friend from Avignon who now lives in Cheverly, recalled that Madame Testud did not cook, except for the eggplant Provencal she frequently prepared.
"She was a strong woman, and she loved the sun because she was from the south of France," Ms. Para said.
Mr. Testud retired in 2005 and sold his business. When he died in 2011, they had been married for 63 years.
A memorial Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. March 21 at St. Bernardine Roman Catholic Church, 3800 Edmondson Ave. at Mount Holly Street.
Survivors include two grandsons, Charles Francois Testud and Florian Testud, both of France. Her son, Dr. Joany Testud, a dentist, died in 2003.