Margaret Helen Couture

It began more than 80 years ago in a tight-knit neighborhood of Norwich, CT. That's when 15-year-old Margaret Helen McAvoy crossed paths with Albert Richard Couture, two years her senior. Though they didn't know it then, they were about to embark on a relationship that would produce a storybook marriage of 75 years, seven children, too many friends and acquaintances to count, and a life of adventurous travel. Margaret McAvoy, who became Margaret Couture when the couple married in February 1946, died early the morning of Aug. 1 from complications of Alzheimer's. She was 94. "Her personality was electric," said her husband. "She had a captivating smile. Her face just lit up, and that made others around her smile. Maybe that's typical of a beautiful Irish lass, I don't know. But she had laughter in her eyes and her smile. It was contagious." Mrs. Couture, known to most as Peg, was born March 30, 1927, in Norwich. She attended Falls School and St. Patrick's Catholic School before graduating from Norwich Free Academy in 1944. After graduation she entered a World War II nursing cadet program at Backus Hospital. Her lifelong friend, Kay Kingsley, remembers Mrs. Couture as someone who never forgot her roots. "Peg was a very special person," she said. "Such a dear friend. We shared many happy times together, and she will be missed." That Mr. Couture proposed to his wife at a tender age -- she was 18, he was 20 -- surprised no one. "We grew up just 300 yards apart, though I didn't really know her until she was 15. We used to hang out near a grocery store owned by the parents of one of Peg's girlfriends. We would occasionally go to the local theater or Mohegan Park. I knew I was going to marry her from the time she was 16." Their courtship did suffer one interruption: World War II. Mr. Couture joined the Army Air Force in 1943. He served overseas with the 456th Bomb Group, returning home in 1945, having corresponded throughout with his bride-to-be. The couple married at St. Patrick Church in Norwich a few months after Mr. Couture's discharge. But he was recalled into the Air Force in 1949, which began a military career of 28 years and a life of travel. Over the years, as Mr. Couture rose through the ranks to colonel, the couple spent time at Air Force bases in California, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nevada, Japan, Guam, Hawaii, Delaware, Alabama, Washington, D.C., and Ohio. "I think Peg was born for this life," Col. Couture said. "She loved travel, and it was so easy for her to meet people and make new friends. And she was a rock in taking care of our family while I was on assignment. "She was active in Officers' Wives' Club activities, and she was one of 18 members of a gourmet cooking club that was loved, for obvious reasons, by all the husbands." After Col. Couture's retirement in 1975, the couple returned to Springfield, VA, to the home they'd built while he was stationed at the Pentagon. That proved to be the gathering spot for countless family reunions, neighborhood parties, and a launching pad for additional travels of leisure to Canada, Mexico, England, France, Germany, and Italy, among other destinations. But they never lost their affection for the beach near their childhood home, camping many times -- often with their children's families -- at Rocky Neck State Park in Connecticut. The church was a second home for Col. And Mrs. Couture, devout Catholics. They have been longtime members of St. Michael Church in Annandale, VA. "The church guided us throughout our lives. It has been our foundation," Col. Couture said. Mrs. Couture is survived by her husband, Albert; their daughter, Eileen Mattei (Guy) of Harlingen, TX; their son, Richard Couture (Debbie) of Dale City, VA; their daughter, Ann Walton(Allan) of Clarksville, VA; their daughter, Diane Dawley (Mark) of Pickens, SC; their son, Kevin (Margaret) of Fort Collins, CO; their daughter, Margaret of Springfield, VA; and their son, Michael (Tammy) of Springfield, VA. She also is survived by 13 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Margaret McAvoy, and a brother, James McAvoy. A visitation for Margaret will be held Monday, August 9, 2021 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA 22151. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, August 10, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Church of the Nativity, 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke, VA 22015. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.demainefunerals.com for the Couture family.