Born
March 4, 1946
Passed
November 12, 2025
Their story
Margaret spent seventy-nine years making ordinary days feel like something worth keeping. She was born in a small mill town, the second of five, and learned early that a full table and an open door could hold a family together through anything.
For thirty-one years she taught second grade, and there is a whole generation in this county that still remembers the sound of her reading aloud. She retired to her garden, her crossword, and a rotating cast of grandchildren who knew that her back door was never really locked.
She loved deeply and quietly — in casseroles left on porches, in birthday cards that always arrived a day early, in the way she remembered every name. She is gone now, but the habits of kindness she planted are still coming up all over the place.
The little things we'll keep
The Sunday phone call
Every Sunday at four, without fail, the phone would ring — just to hear how the week had gone.
Her garden
Tomatoes she swore by, dahlias she was proud of, and enough zucchini every August to feed the whole street.
“One more slice”
No one ever left her kitchen hungry, and no one ever left with just one slice.
The Ghost Book
Tributes & memories
A place for everyone who loved Margaret to leave a few words and light a candle.
“You made all of us feel like the favorite. Thank you for a lifetime of that, Mom.”
Tom Hayes · Son
“Forty years next door. The street is quieter now. Rest easy, Margaret.”
Mrs. Delgado · Neighbor
“I lit a candle for you tonight and told the kids about the crossword. They already miss you.”
Claire · Granddaughter
Add your candle
Share a memory of Margaret. New tributes appear here once reviewed.