Margarite June Joiner

Margarite June Murdock Lockhart Sutyak Joiner was born on June 7th 1920 in Roswell, New Mexico. The oldest of 5 siblings, her parents, Oliver Bradly and Agnes Ozella Singleton Murdock were homesteaders. It was during the great Depression and they were very poor. Margarite often said they didn’t know how poor they really were because “Everyone else was poor too”

Margarite’s Family had a small farm with a large assortment of animals. She developed her love of animals at an early age and loved them all her life.

Margarite and her family, her parents, brothers Oliver Bradly “B” and Thomas, sisters Dorothy “Dot” and Edith worked very hard maintain their little farm along with the animals. Life was quite difficult. At one time the family lived in a dug-out until a permanent home was built, but Margarite often said she didn’t mid the hard work, it helped develop her character. She really loved it. She often spoke with great enthusiasm of her childhood in New Mexico, playing with her siblings, who she was very close with and enjoying life with her grandparents who helped raise her and her siblings. They were loved, well cared for and happy.

Margarite attended school in a one room school house and had the same class of students from 1st grade thru 7th grade. She left school after the 7th grade to help with the farm and to help care for her grandmother.

In 1938 Margarite met and married James Lockhart. She had her first daughter, Patricia Edweena, in 1940. When that marriage ended, Margarite worked hard at building a safe and loving home for herself and Patricia, supporting them with her work as a telephone operator there in Roswell. Margarite always loved music and dancing and as a result of that began volunteering at the local USO. She met her second husband, Tech SGT John Stephen Sutyak of the USAF, while attending one of the dances. She spoke often of how much they both loved to dance and did indeed dance as often as possible throughout their short but love filled marriage.

John and Margarite were married in Roswell New Mexico in 1949. Margarite set about becoming an Air Force wife. In 1950, Margarite gave birth to their first daughter, Mary Margaret, in Oklahoma City, OK, where they were stationed. The small family moved to base housing in Ohio where Margarite gave birth to their last two girls, Jeanette Faith and Phyllis Stevet. Both born in Fairborn, Ohio. Shortly thereafter the family was transferred to Edwards AFB in California. In 1956, John Sutyak was killed in an auto accident, leaving Margarite alone to raise her four young girls. She became a fiercely protective mother. Her Daughters always her first priority. Along with the help of her mother, these six females worked hard to provide and keep a tidy, Christian based, safe, happy, fun filled, pet filled home for themselves. She resumed work as a telephone operator as a means of supporting her family. It was to be her favorite job ever. During the next ten years, Margarite and the girls were very involved in the church, church choir, school and girl scouts. Through the YMCA, they joined the family based organization “Parents Without Partners” (PWP), where Margarite made many longtime friends and she and the girls enjoyed many wholesome activities. Around this time, Margarite was introduced to square-dancing. She took to it like a duck to water. Enjoying many hours of the activity. The last year Margarite was in “Parents Without Partners”, she became president of the local chapter. In 1968, after many years of doing telephone work, Margarite quit her job to care for her ailing mother, who passed away in 1970. Although she struggled financially, Margarite always managed to keep her family afloat, doing much with very little.

Margarite and Don Joiner were neighbors. They helped each other get their children to school and various activities. They also attended the same church. Don likes to tell about the first time he saw Margarite's house. He was amazed by how nice she was able to keep it. The house was not special, but it was clean, painted, trimmed and tidy. He was very impressed by her ability to do so much with so little. Eventually that friendship developed into love, resulting in a proposal from Don. Margarite accepted and they were married on July 9th, 1972 in San Bernardino, Ca. Margarite was able to continue her enjoyment of dance as she and Don had become members of a square dancing club. Margarite always enjoyed wearing her square dancing togs and was often told how cute she looked in them.

During their marriage, Margarite and Don loved traveling and camping, spending many years doing just that. Their lives were filled with church, work, family, leisure, grand kids and pets.

All of the above is so very true when we look back on Margarite’s influence on each of us. The influence she had as a Mother and Grandmother is very apparent. And, her influence goes beyond what is written above. She showed that life can be conquered. That only we can accept and change the perceived attitude of others. That life’s trials are stepping stones to the better life, if you want it. Yes, as my Mom she showed me things that only she could show. Things that even my blood Mother could not show me. She made my Dad happy. I mean really really happy. Her love and giving were endless. Her smile was always warm and friendly (except the times she was putting me in my place). She was one of my surrogate parents long before she became my Fathers wife. Her influence as a Mother to me was preceded by years of molding, as only a caring person could. She already had placed the Margarite stamp on me, as she had many other children, teenagers and young adults. The influence she made on all of the kids at Highland Church of the Nazarene, the Girl Scouts, and the numerous kids at the schools where she worked. I look back at that time of my life and thank God, people like Margarite were around. And so, I must agree wholeheartedly, with ending words expressed by her daughters: “Up to the end of her life, Margarite filled our lives with abundant love. She will be greatly missed. Our hearts cannot express in these few words, what she was to us. That void can never be filled; her essence can never be captured.”

Arrangements under the direction of Green Acres Memorial Park and Mortuary, Bloomington, CA.