Margaret Strong

Margaret Katherine Woolley was born in Denton on January 9, 1925. She lived almost her entire life in the Park Cities. She passed away peacefully in Fort Worth, her family close by, on May 3, 2015. She attended both The Hockaday School and Highland Park High School, graduating from HPHS. Her father chaired the School Board and signed her diploma “Daddy.” She graduated from SMU where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She enjoyed close friendships with many childhood and college friends throughout her life. She married John Paul Strong in 1948. They raised two sons and enjoyed over 51 years of marriage until John’s passing in 2000. She suffered a stroke in 1980 and John devoted the remainder of his life in caring for her. They enjoyed their time in Dallas as well as in their second home in Santa Fe, NM, forming many new friendships there. They loved collecting Southwestern art, especially paintings of Lonnie Sisson and spent countless evenings at Vanessie’s in Santa Fe enjoying the piano of Doug Montgomery. While her health allowed she also traveled extensively with her friends. Following John’s death she also traveled with her son and family to a variety of destinations including the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Yosemite, and Chicago. She made many trips back to Santa Fe. For the last several years she lived nearer her family at the Stayton retirement community in Fort Worth but always held out hope of moving back to her beloved Dallas. She and John were members of Highland Park Presbyterian Church, the Dallas Country Club and the Dallas Petroleum Club as well as many social clubs. She was a member of the Junior League of Dallas and the Dallas Women’s Club. She also volunteered for several Dallas area charities. We appreciated the personal care she received from the staff at the Park Plaza condominiums, allowing her to live independently in her home for many years after John’s passing. We also want to thank all of the staff on the 3rd floor of the Stayton for their loving care for Margaret in her last years and the staff of Covenant Hospice for their tender care in her last days. Debbie North and Janeth Jaramillo were particularly great friends and caretakers. Margaret could never have enjoyed the last 35 years, her grandchildren growing up and marrying, and the births of five great-grandchildren had it not been for Dr. Robert Feldman in Santa Fe caring for her during her 1980 illness. We thank him and his wife Ellyn for their enduring friendship through the years. Margaret lost her husband, John, in 2000 and her oldest son, Clint, in 1996. Surviving are her son, Gary Strong and wife Judy; her sister, Grace Gowan and her sisters-in-law: Tommie Woolley and Anne Woolley. Surviving grandchildren are: JB Strong, his wife Emily and their children, Wyatt, Abigail, and Eleanor; Taylor Strong, his wife Desiree and their children Lillian and Alice; and Christal Miller and her husband Scott Miller. She leaves behind many nieces and nephews and their families who loved their Aunt Margaret. She adored her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. We feel fortunate to have had her near them in her last years. A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday, May 7th, at 4pm at the Sparkman Hillcrest funeral home’s chapel with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Cook Children’s Medical Center, The First Tee of Fort Worth, or the United Community Centers of Fort Worth. We thank all of Margaret’s many friends for their love and affection. She cherished them. She’s finally at rest, back home in Dallas.