Margaret Pixley James

Margaret Ann Pixley James was born March 7, 1927, in La Jolla, California, but was a true Kansan at heart. Raised on a farm in the western part of the state, she walked to a one-room schoolhouse in Kalvesta.

She then lived with another family in town and worked to attend high school in Cimarron. Loving the open skies on the plains, she showed her work ethic through the Depression, the Dust Bowl years, and WWII.

She earned her home economics degree at Kansas State University where she was elected to Phi Kappa Phi. She was a proud member of Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society, a life member of K-State Alumni Association, and a member of the American Association of University Women. To pay for her college education, Margaret had many jobs, but her favorite was working summers at the Mountain Lodge in Estes Park, CO. This started her great love of traveling and her passion for Native American jewelry and turquoise.

She married Thomas M. James the same day she graduated from K-State. They stayed in Manhattan, Kansas, while Tom earned his master’s degree.

Together they raised five children: Yvonne Wise (Larry), Laura Newton (Doug), Cindy Wienstroer (Ted), Steve James, and Amy James.

Her dream was to be a farmer’s wife, but life took her in a different direction. The family lived in Chicago, IL; Lexington, KY; Eleuthera in the Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Decatur, AL; Omaha, NE; Tallahassee, FL; and, finally, Liberty, MO, where she passed peacefully in her home of 56 years.

Margaret loved to travel, to experience new cultures and to meet new people. She enjoyed the tropics during the family’s time in the Bahamas, where she and the kids celebrated an Independence Day parade, and where she learned to catch seahorses with her toes in the shallow waters. During trips to China, Russia, England, Finland, and other foreign countries, she enjoyed giving pennies to children to see their faces light up.

As Christians, Margaret and Tom felt their faith called them to become active in the Civil Rights movement, where they were part of the first biracial group in Decatur, AL. Margaret also wrote to Gov. George Wallace and asked that the Confederate flag be removed from the elementary school and that he provide a state flag to fly instead, which he did. After the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, she founded the Liberty Cross Culture Club to start their own “race riot” to bring people together and enjoy each other’s differences.

A core belief was that all people should be treated equally, regardless of the color of their skin or the contents of their wallet. To promote understanding, she welcomed strangers into their home, inviting college students to stay with them during Christmas breaks and setting additional plates for Thanksgiving dinners. Margaret was active in the sponsorship of Cuban refugees during the 1960s in Alabama, and was a board member of the Liberty group that sponsored Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s.

A major focus for Margaret was her concern for children. In Omaha, she and Tom were foster parents. Often a new face would appear at breakfast or after school and would be immediately accepted into the family. Once, a police officer, while dropping off a new child, asked her, “How many kids DO you have?” to which she replied, “Five of mine, five of yours.”

As a lifelong advocate for civil rights, education, and the environment, she found many ways to support each cause. Many have seen her up to 97 years old picking up litter, especially on her local stretch of Highway 291, and then she recycled cans, with the money donated to charities. Margaret was an educator and served three terms on the Liberty Public School Board, as well as teaching or substituting in many of the cities she lived in. She was involved in the Girl Scouts and taught CPR and first aid. She volunteered at Liberty Hospital, at the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, at the Earnest Shepherd Youth Center, St. Mary’s Food Kitchen, Liberty United Methodist Church, Liberty public schools, Rotary, Fellowship of the Concerned, and Habitat for Humanity. She was a poll worker during elections and an active member of the League of Women Voters. She was also an ambassador for the Liberty Chamber of Commerce, supporting them locally as well as traveling with them globally.

Margaret will be remembered for her courageousness, her determination, her selflessness, and her integrity. She did not always make others feel comfortable with her outspokenness, but most knew she was trying to make a difference to help all people. There was always time to do one more act of service, whether crocheting scarves for the homeless or sewing 200 quilts for Festival of Sharing in one year.

She leaves five children, nine grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren, as well as friends around the world. Although she has had various titles throughout her life, her favorite was always “Nana,” used by any child she knew.

If you are interested in hearing about part of Margaret’s life spoken in her own voice, you can listen to two interviews:

Genealogy Gallery/Online Collections at https://content.mymcpl.org/s/gallery/item/160827

StoryCorps Archive, interview with Margaret P James 08/18/2018

Donations may be made to the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary or the American Red Cross.

The Celebration of Life will be at Liberty United Methodist Church, 1001 Sunset Ave., Liberty, MO 64068 on February 7, 2026. Service will be at 1 p.m. with simple reception at 2 p.m. in the Wesley Hall.