Archives > Mesquite News > News
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
From humble beginnings, countess settles in Mesquite
By Ann Marie Shambaugh, Staff Writer
It’s a rags to riches story with a twist. Manonne Fontainne resides in south Mesquite with her husband of four years, but her path to the Metroplex began in Soviet-controlled Hungary and travelled through New York City, California, Palau, Idaho and Iowa.
Fontainne grew up in Hungary shortly after the end of World War II during an era of communism. Although her family was forced to speak of their past sparingly, she always knew she was different.
Fontainne was a Hungarian countess of French descent, born to a family of power and respect in Hungary. When the communists invaded, they took the family’s land and castle – which Fontainne’s father had inhabited before her birth – leaving the once noble family with little belongings or respect.
She took her grandmother’s advice seriously, completing high school several years early. Fontainne had few friends, because when most of her peers were giggling about boyfriends, she was contemplating Aristotle.
“Nobody wanted to talk to me,” Fontainne said with a laugh. “I feel bad for kids who are rapidly advanced today, because there is such an emotional detachment and a social handicap in many ways.”
By the age of 13, Fontainne knew she wanted to go to live in the United States, but she did not know how to get there. A few years later a friend of the family who lived in New York contacted Fontainne about heading to America for a visit, and she headed overseas after obtaining a three month visa.
Not wanting to head back to Hungary, Fontainne rushed into marriage with a man she knew for only two months in order to remain in the United States. The marriage didn’t last long, and soon Fontainne and her daughter were living in Harlem where she found work in a factory.
“I never felt safer anywhere than I did [in Harlem], because everybody watched out for us,” Fontainne said.
The countess spent her first several years learning English by reading the New York Times and watching Peyton Place. Eventually she landed a job as a showroom model, which paid considerably better than any other job she’d held. It also came with perks – such as meeting Neil Diamond, Ethel Kennedy and Maude Adams.
After several years, Fontainne went to school to earn a degree in interior design.
“I started school when I was still modeling, because I knew it wasn’t going to be a lifetime career,” she said. Her last shoot was in the mid-90s.
Fontainne spent several years in California, where she worked at the same convention center as her current husband, Gary Osgood, although they never met. In the meantime, Fontainne lived in several places, including the island of Palau, where she was revered as the wife of a judge.
Fontainne’s relationship with Osgood began several years ago after they met through an online dating service. They moved to Mesquite more than two years ago after Fontainne had a strong urge to leave California, a state both husband and wife loved.
The couple sold their home months before the housing crisis began. Osgood got a job as a buyer for Hotel ZaZa in Dallas, although he recently felt the effects of the gloomy economy when he was laid off. Fontainne works periodically at Hotel ZaZa, providing hotel guests with reiki, a Japanese relaxation technique.
Fontainne’s interest in the metaphysical began several years ago when the Tony Robbins motivational tapes she ordered turned out to be tapes by Deepak Chopra, an expert on mind-body healing. She listened with rapt attention, and began learning everything she could about the subject.
Her learning culminated in a doctorate degree in metaphysics. She also got the chance to study with Chopra for six months – alongside Dr. Benjamin Spock, George Harrison and Ann Miller.
Fontainne opened a healing clinic in Iowa – where she lived after a stint in Idaho – and her dream is to provide healing services to a professional athletic team, where injuries, stress and anxiety are common.
Although she’s thousands of miles away from her noble heritage, the countess plans to live in Mesquite until she feels a calling to move on. Fontainne never visited the family castle – which is now Hotel Melczer – until 2005, after her mother died. She said the only time she has felt aware of her status was during that trip, because her family name is still respected in Hungary.
Fontainne said she is often asked what else she would like to accomplish before she dies, and she’s hard pressed to come up with anything because she’s likely done it already. She is thankful for the blessings – and tough times – in life, and she always remembers the wisdom of her grandmother from so many years ago that her status in life is a responsibility more than a privilege.
“I don’t have any regrets about anything, because I believe people (and situations) come into your life as teachers,” Fontainne said. “If you use it as a stepping stone for growth, you will never have one regret.”
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
