Margaret Jacqueline Montgomery

Seattle, passed away on Tuesday, February 26, 2002. She was born to Jack and Alta Pepper Montgomery on June 10, 1910 in Portland, Oregon. The family moved to Plummer, Idaho, for a stint at homesteading and then onto Tacoma, Washington in the 1920s where years later Margaret graduated from Stadium High School. Her first experience in the working world was as a summer employee at

Mt. Rainier's Paradise Inn where she served as a forest nymph. Her adult career as legal secretary included working in the Washington State Attorney General's Office and State Patrol headquarters in Olympia. Always the adventurer, one day Margaret packed her bags and headed to San Francisco, the mecca of diversity, where she lived for ten years, working for private law firms and attorney Melvin Beli, enjoying a circle of new, to become life-long, friends. During this period she had the pleasure of working for Frederick Knott, author of and screen playwright for the famous book and movie thriller, ''Dial M for Murder.'' While working in a San Francisco law firm, Margaret had the pleasure of meeting a cousin of Czar Nicholas II of Russia who had fled to the United States after the revolution and settled in that city. During these office visits, she had the chance to view one of Mr. Romanoff's fabled Faberge eggs. In the mid sixties, Margaret returned to Seattle to care for her mother and subsequently purchased a co-op apartment in the University District where she resided for the remainder of her life. She worked in the Attorney General's Office at the University of Washington and as private secretary to retired professors, making abundant friends in the academic world. Everyone loved Margaret! The nature of Margaret's work and her professional associations resulted in many delightful and some hilarious episodes, which she retold with relish to her family and friends in the following years. A constant passion throughout Margaret's life was her commitment to animal welfare. Through donations of money and volunteer work, Margaret fulfilled her desire to help creatures, large to tiny. She especially loved volunteering countless hours at Seattle Aquarium, where she had the pleasure of feeding otters and thrilled over the birth of one of its babies. An ardent supporter of aspiring artists, she did so by purchasing several of their works to display around her home. Though never married, Margaret had 3 opportunities to become a wife, but in each instance realized that was not the role for her, decisions she never regretted. Her surviving children were those of her sister, Gertrude Ann: nieces Barbara Plowman of San Jose, CA; Sylvia Smith of Spokane, WA; and nephew Monte Mueller of Tacoma, WA, her two legged pet. A gentle, loving person, Margaret possessed great wit and a fabulous sense of humor; she was a wonderful conversationalist. Since 1998, she struggled valiantly with various medical problems. Committed to independence, Margaret remained in her home to the end. Her constant companion, cat Shelley, was a source of friendship, compassion, and downright love. Shelley will miss her mistress ever so much! Miss Montgomery lived life on 'the road less traveled,' a road that brought adventure, friends, and the special joy of remaining true to one's self. We'll miss Margaret as long as we are around. If we are miraculously blessed, one day each will enjoy a grand reunion with her. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2002,at 4PM, Evergreen-Washelli Chapel, 11111 Aurora Ave N., Seattle. Remembrances may be made in Margaret?s name to the Seattle Aquarium.