Margaret Reddy

A dedicated teacher, a loving wife and mother, Margaret E. Reddy’s life was filled with hard work, a commitment to helping others, and a joy for life that affected all those around her. Frugal, but not stingy, looking and acting much younger than her age, she was the epitome of what exemplifies a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

“Listen with your ears on a Saturday night in Kalamazoo, and say to yourself, ‘I hear America’”. That line, from a poem by Carl Sandburg, describes the Kalamazoo of 1911. A growing area with theaters, colleges, schools and libraries, it was the perfect place to raise a family. Chancy and Mabel (Woodhouse) Beckwith thought so, and were overjoyed, when their first and only child, daughter Margaret, was born on June 27, 1911. The family owned a farm on east “N” Avenue in Pavilion Township, a farm that had been in the family since it was bought from the government in 1835. Margaret lived most of her life on this farm.

Young Margaret attended County Center School, a one-room schoolhouse, with other children from the area. From there she went to Comstock High School. Margaret didn’t know how to ride a bicycle, but she certainly knew how to ride a horse, which she did every day to and from school. Her parents had attended the same one room school, and later her children did too. Margaret was not a shy girl and while in high school, played on the women’s tennis team and became very involved in Girl Scouts, earning many badges. In 1929, she graduated from high school as the class valedictorian, an honor her mother had also earned. She enrolled at Western State Teacher’s College (WMU) and in 1933 was granted her permanent teaching certificate.

The Reddy family lived down the road from the Beckwiths. The families didn’t know each other well, but young Vincent Reddy had noticed Margaret Beckwith. After a time of courtship, Fr. Grace married the couple at St. Joseph Catholic Church. The date was May 12, 1934, during the time of the Tulip Festival. The sites and sounds of the Tulip Festival became their honeymoon, all they could afford. They lived in Scotts for a short time before returning to Margaret’s family farm. Margaret taught for about 8 years, stopping when their son David was born. Sisters Beverly and Mary would later join David. Margaret eventually went back to teaching and retired from the Climax-Scotts Schools in 1975, after 22+ years. She stayed involved with education as a member of both the Michigan and Kalamazoo Retired School Personnel Associations. After her retirement, she and Vincent wintered in Florida for the next 20 years.

Margaret always regretted that she had been an only child, so family was very important to her. She hated it when her children squabbled, but the English teacher in her made sure they called her Mom or Mother, no Ma or Mama. She loved her in-laws and made them a part of her life. She and Vincent were a perfect match, their personalities a good balance. They had a very supportive marriage, always helping each other. Vincent was very involved in county fairs and had built the Kalamazoo County Fair into one of the best in the area. Margaret had become interested in genealogy as a young girl, and Vincent shared this interest with her. She had researched the histories of both families and could tell you every name and something about that person. This passion prompted her to become a member of the Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society.

Even though Margaret was teaching, there were always farm chores to be done. It was a dairy farm, with chickens and pigs as well as the 70+ cows and it was not unusual for Margaret to help out with the milking now and then. In 1965 they phased out the dairy part of the farm and began raising general crops on the 200+ acres – soybeans, wheat, etc. Margaret saw to it that the farm crew always had plenty of good food to eat. She loved to cook and collect recipes, which could be found in the many boxes in her kitchen. Attired in her apron, she would cook vegetables fresh from the garden, chicken fresh from the farm. The food was not fancy but good and plentiful and no one ever left the table hungry. Her dessert specialty was sour cream pie. She passed on her cooking skills, not only to her two daughters, but her caregivers and to many neighborhood girls who belonged to her 4-H cooking group.

Margaret was an avid reader from a young age and continued to devour books right up to her death. She would read anything but really liked a good mystery or what she called her “trashy” books. She would read an average of 3 – 4 books a week, and it was a slow read if the book took 2 days to finish. She would go to bed at 7:30 but read until she fell asleep, often in the wee hours of the morning. In 1996 she had a stroke in her left eye which left that eye blind. But this did nothing to slow her down. She was very proud of her only granddaughter, Hilary, and they shared a love of books, especially grandmother’s “trashy” books. Margaret was a charter member and the last surviving member of the Comstock Ladies Library Association.

Always involved in family, community, and church, Margaret was a member of the Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Chapter of the DAR, St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Kalamazoo County Home Extension Club, and in 1996 she and her late husband Vincent were inducted in the Michigan Farmer’s Hall of Fame.

She enjoyed watching the Lawrence Welk Show, clipping recipes and helping others. A multiple cancer survivor since 1951, Margaret also had other ailments, but never complained. She was a strong, caring woman. She was mentally alert right up to the end. Although she had a dry sense of humor, she looked forward to sharing beauty shop jokes.

Margaret (Beckwith) Reddy of Kalamazoo, died peacefully May 7, 2004 at Borgess Medical Center. To share in Margaret’s life story and view her life story film, friends may visit with her family Monday from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, Stadium Drive, West of US-131, 375-2900 where a prayer service will be held at 7:30 PM. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday 10:30 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Private interment will take place in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Immediately following the mass, food and fellowship will be shared in the church hall. Her family includes her 3 children: David Reddy of Kalamazoo, Beverly Reddy of Kalamazoo, Mary (Bruce) Smith of Cincinnati, OH; a grand-daughter Hilary (Gregory Jones) Smith of Centreville, VA; 3 sisters-in-law: Helen Barrett and Theresa Salamun both of Kalamazoo, Rita Oosting of Galesburg and several nieces, nephews and cousins. To read Margaret’s complete life story, archive a favorite memory of her, send flowers, or make a memorial contribution to the American Cancer Society or St. Joseph Church Educational Fund, please visit her personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com.

Margaret’s laughter, her friendly smile and her love for her family will continue to encourage them even as they mourn her passing. She leaves them with an example of generosity and joy that can be shared with others.