Salomé Mergenthaler

**Salomé Régine Thérèse Schoenfisch-Mergenthaler** (née **Mergenthaler**; 13 June 1937 – 18 August 1974) was a Maronan model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Marone 1958. She had previously been crowned Miss Ambas 1957 and Miss Haut-Trihan 1957, making her the first woman from Ambas to have won Miss Marone.

## Early life and education

Mergenthaler was born on 13 June 1937 in the town of Plankenheide to parents Otto (1907–1987) and Marguerite Mergenthaler (née *Wegener*; 1910–2001). Her father worked as a shoemaker, while her mother was a homemaker who assisted her husband with bookkeeping. Mergenthaler was the second of four children; her siblings included Robert (1935–1941), Béatrice (born 1940), and Geneviève (born 1945). Robert died of tuberculosis in childhood, aged six.

Mergenthaler began her education in 1942, attending public schooling. She began her modeling career as a young child, posing as a shoe model for her father's shoes. Mergenthaler completed primary school in 1949, and subsequently graduated from *collège* in 1952. She afterwards enrolled in a *lycée académique*, studying literature and languages, and completed her *baccalauréat* in 1956. After graduating, Mergenthaler began a professional career as a model, working primarily in Ambas and West Lungary, but additionally in Delmas as well.

## Pageantry

### Miss Ambas 1957

Mergenthaler began her pageantry career in 1957, after registering to compete in Miss Haut-Trihan 1957. Miss Haut-Trihan was later held in May 1957, which saw Mergenthaler going on to win the title. Her victory qualified her to compete in Miss Ambas 1957 in October 1957, which she also went on to win.

### Miss Marone 1958

As Miss Ambas, Mergenthaler was qualified to compete in Miss Marone 1958. Miss Marone was held in December 1957 in Valenême, where Mergenthaler went on to advance into the Top 7, and ultimately was crowned the winner, becoming the first woman from Ambas to be crowned Miss Marone. Following her victory, Mergenthaler chose to give her victory speech in Ambasian rather than Maronan, as she wished to speak directly to her family in the audience. This proved to be controversial, with the Maronan media dubbing her an "Ambasian nationalist" and "separatist," but she later apologized and clarified that she was proud to be Maronan. During her reign, Mergenthaler resided in Delmas and worked as a promotional model and brand representative both domestically and internationally for Miss Marone and its sponsors.

As Miss Marone, Mergenthaler represented Marone at Miss Parth 1958 in August 1958. She ultimately went on to place as the third runner-up in the competition.

## Personal life

After completing her reign as Miss Marone in December 1958, Mergenthaler relocated permanently to Delmas, and continued her career as a professional model. Following her marriage to Maronan architect and her high school sweetheart Robert Schoenfisch in 1959, Mergenthaler chose to continue to model professionally and work full-time, unlike most married women of the era. Mergenthaler and Schoenfisch later returned to Ambas in 1965, settling in the town of Schliecksdorf, and Mergenthaler retired from her modeling career in order to begin a family.

Mergenthaler and Schoenfisch had two sons together: Emmanuel (born 1968) and Jonatan (born 1970), while the family resided in Schliecksdorf. Mergenthaler was a polyglot, and spoke Ambasian, Maronan, Lungarian, and Ditrovian fluently. She was additionally an adherent of the Church of Lungary, and attended religious services weekly.

## Death

During her adult life, Mergenthaler was an avid cyclist who often rode her bicycle throughout town during warm weather. While riding her bicycle in the middle of the day on 18 August 1974, Mergenthaler was struck by a truck whose driver was not looking at the road and was killed immediately, aged 37. The truck driver initially did not stop and the incident was investigated as a hit-and-run, but he later turned himself into police after reading about the incident in the newspaper the following morning.

Following her death, her two sons were raised by her husband, parents, and parents-in-law, prior to her husband's remarriage in 1983. Her funeral was attended by a number of Miss Marone titleholders, in addition to Évelyne von Kupp.