Margaret Hill

Margaret (“Margie”) Hill, 88, passed away on March 21, 2013 at The Hearth at Tuxis Pond, Madison, CT, after a long struggle with dementia. She was born in 1924 in Claremont, New Hampshire and had also lived in Moody, Maine and Venice, Florida. She and her husband Dick moved to Madison in 2003 to be near their daughter. Margie was pre-deceased by her husband Dick in 2004, and is survived by her daughter Janet Kolb and husband Al, son Rick Hill, and grandchildren Eric and Loriana Kolb.

Margaret was the daughter and only child of Josephine and Bertira E. Small of Claremont, NH, and a 1939 graduate of Stevens High School, like her father before her (1898). Her nickname at Stevens was “Petite”, and she was voted Sweetest in her class. After graduation, she attended Bradford Junior College in Bradford, MA, and then the Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School in Boston. She worked at Little, Brown & Co. publishing in Boston, later returning to Claremont to care for her parents. There she secured a job as secretary to John McLane Clark, then editor of the Claremont Daily Eagle.

While working at the Eagle, she met Dick Hill, who worked for WTSV Radio. While not from Claremont (Manchester), he was still very charming, and they soon became a couple. They married in June of 1949, daughter Janet was born in 1950 and son Rick in 1952. Margie’s beautiful blue eyes, remarked upon throughout her life by friends and acquaintances alike, were passed on to both children, and later to granddaughter Lori.

When the children came, Margie left work to care for her family. Her husband Dick was very involved in the Claremont community through service organizations, bringing news home of all that was happening in town. Margaret also kept up her interest in current affairs honed at the newspaper by reading several newspapers each day. She fed her love of American history and political science, devouring non-fiction books and articles and becoming a scholar of the World Wars and the politics of the 20th century. She taught her family history and politics, adding first-person stories of the Depression, the Hurricane of ’38, Pearl Harbor, and WWII. Throughout her life, she kept her mind busy with reading, working crossword puzzles (in ink, of course), and playing solitaire with more than a dozen decks of cards; fingers were kept busy with crewel, needlepoint, and knitting. Socially, Dick and Margie often dined with friends, and she was active in the Beta Sigma Phi sorority.

Margaret returned to work in the early 1960’s, this time as secretary to the principal of Stevens High School, Frederick Carr. This was no mere job for her; she was always very proud to be from Claremont and a graduate of Stevens, and now she was part of a very vibrant school. It was also wonderful for her daughter during her own years at Stevens to have her Mom and therefore her family a part of the school on a daily basis. Margie would sometimes call Jan to the office from study hall, just to visit for a while, providing a great break for both of them! Margaret’s presence at the high school gave Jan’s friends a positive female role to emulate, as she performed every part of the job with efficiency and grace, impeccably dressed and coiffed, always greeting people with a warm smile and good will.

Margaret married at a time when marriage had rather strict rules of behavior. While a model wife in many ways, Margie was unapologetic about which traditional roles she enjoyed, and which she did not. In the 1950’s, it was impressive for a wife to make it clear that cooking was never fun for her, so her wry sense of humor came in handy in making her point. To no one’s surprise, in later years her refrigerator prominently displayed a magnet saying, “The way to a woman’s heart is through the door of a good restaurant” -- restaurants always were a welcome and fun outing for her. Margaret balanced tradition and independent thinking in all parts of life, including parenting. She and Dick always encouraged Jan to reach for the stars and not be channeled into female-acceptable professions; however, Margie also made sure that Jan took a typing class so that she’d always be able to support herself.

Margaret’s favorite places in the world included Moody Beach and Ogunquit, Maine. She and her parents spent a large portion of every summer renting a cottage at Moody Beach from her early childhood. The practice continued after her marriage, and those summers at the beach were perfection for her daughter Jan. They were filled with sun, ocean, sand, fresh lobsters and clams, crabs and seals to play with. Staying at a cottage with no TV, books filled days of sun and rain alike, and contributed to a legacy of reading passed down from Margaret to her family. Several of Jan’s friends from Claremont were able to spend a week at the beach with the family over the years as well, and each one of them remembers their time with pleasure. In the early 70’s, Dick and Margie made a permanent move from Claremont to Moody Beach to enjoy its magic year-round. The move enabled the grandchildren to spend part of each summer at the beach, and they now have wonderful memories of playing in tidal pools, fold-up beach chairs, a picnic basket with soda and fluffernutters, Goldenrod kisses, the Ogunquit Playhouse, and meals out at Lord’s, where they both remember being treated as small adults, rather than possibly unruly children. They even got the cherries from Margie’s favorite manhattans (straight up, ice on the side), just as their Mom had before them.

Over the years, Dick and Margaret spent more time in Florida in the winters, and when Dick retired from the insurance business, they moved to Venice, Florida permanently. They spent several happy years in Venice, never tiring of the warm weather. Grandson Eric attended college in Sarasota and the proximity to their grandson was good for everyone; frequent visits provided mutual support. They even attended his thesis presentation, just as they had attended every concert, parade and graduation possible as their children and grandchildren grew up.

In Margaret’s ordinary and extraordinary lifetime, she demonstrated consistent strength and resilience. There were times of great joy, times of anxiety and stress, times for her blessed peace and quiet, times of confusion and loneliness. She never failed to look toward each new outing with a smile, and the promise of a drive and an ice cream never lost its pleasure, from the time of her own youth through to the last weeks of her life.

The family would particularly like to thank The Hearth at Tuxis Pond in Madison for many years of excellent and loving care. Memorial services will be private. Condolences and memories can be made to Margaret’s daughter Janet at [email protected], and donations in Margaret’s memory may be made to the Stevens High School Alumni Association General Fund at 24 OperaHouse Square, Box 29, Claremont, NH 03743.