Margaret Ann Spaly

The third of five children of Josephine and Herbert Black, Margaret was raised in Charlotte, Michigan. She finished first in her class at Charlotte High School, and at one point was regarded as the fastest sprinter on the 400 Block of Horatio Ave. She moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan, where she majored in Psychology, joined and eventually became president of Gamma Phi Beta, and made many lifelong friendships.

Margaret began her career as an adoption specialist in the juvenile court system of Washtenaw County, the first of many roles where she advocated tirelessly for children and families. After giving birth to her two sons, Margaret joined Bethany International Adoptions and spent a decade placing children from South Korea into families across Southeastern Michigan. Upon earning a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan in 1990, Margaret served as a social worker in the Ypsilanti Public Schools, and then at the Corner Health Center, coordinating therapy, nursing and nutritional services for high-risk young mothers and infants. Next, Margaret spent more than ten years at Chelsea Public Schools, as the middle school and high school social worker. She enjoyed the work and the warm camaraderie among teachers and staff.

In 2007, Margaret’s first grandchild was born, engendering her final career change. She retired and moved to San Francisco, a city she first fell in love with on a summer internship in college, to help raise what became three granddaughters there. In her final decade and a half she made new friends and had myriad adventures while becoming a cherished member of her grandchildren’s school communities.

Margaret’s life was enriched by friendships with a wide variety of people in Ann Arbor, including those developed with fellow mothers in two close-knit book clubs. One she joined, as a younger member, and another she founded, as a ringleader. It should be noted that one group drank club soda, the other Diet Coke. She appeared in three Ann Arbor Civic Theater Productions, including The Music Man (1988), Mame (1989), and Brigadoon (1990). When she wasn’t rollerblading, hiking or attending fitness classes, she loved listening to National Public Radio; her favorite program had to be Car Talk.

Margaret is survived by her brother, Herbert (Christine) Black, Jr.; sisters, Marcia McMahon and Susan Black; sons Eric (Jessica) Spaly and Brian (Carly) Spaly; and grandchildren Audrey, Lila, Eva, Ruthie, Sylvie, and Graham Spaly. She is preceded in death by her parents, Herbert and Josephine Black and her sister, Barbara Mooberry.