Margaret R. Chase

April 7, 2012 Margaret R. Chase, of Skaneateles, passed away Saturday, April 7, at home at the age of 80. Margaret was predeceased by her husband, Dave, whom she met as a teenager and married in college to begin a wonderful lifetime together. Margaret was born in Syracuse in 1931 and lived most of her adult life in Skaneateles, a place she and Dave found to be home. Margaret attended Nottingham High School and Syracuse University, graduating in 1953. She then helped Dave develop David O. Chase Design, a firm they worked on together for over 35 years, creating one of the top 10 firms in industrial design in the United States. Margaret and Dave believed in working hard and enjoying life, and they were a significant part of the Skaneateles community. Margaret enjoyed their children, Amanda and David, while also pursuing her varied interests, which included equestrian sports, farming, music and polo. Margaret was the business half of the relationship, always making sure they could make ends meet while running the design firm and Carousel Farms, a training barn for hunter jumper horses and polo ponies. Margaret was a member of the Limestone Creek Hunt. She supported the Skaneateles Polo Club and was a part owner of the Gulfstream Polo Club in Lake Worth, Florida. She was a regular at every Sunday game over the last 50+ years,and was highly respected for her knowledge of the game and how it should be played. After Dave's passing in 1995, Margaret worked on the boards of the Barrow Gallery and the Skaneateles Historical Society, both projects she felt were key cultural components of the community to be celebrated and preserved. When Margaret worked on a project, she found unique ways to give life to important mementos and artifacts from old materials. She helped raise the visibility of both organizations while also creating new revenue opportunities. She was a voracious reader, a talented pianist and a woman who always valued the proper way to do things. She was universally considered to be a kind and engaged individual. Margaret will be missed in Skaneateles; she dearly loved the sense of community here that is created by people who love where they live and work to make it better. Her husband Dave helped rebuild the gazebo in the village in 1983, which they both supported to help rejuvenate the Community Band and the Friday night concerts. At the commemoration, the gazebo was named the Margaret R. Chase Gazebo by the village and the volunteers who built it. Margaret is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and Martin Cregg; her son and daughter-in-law, David and Courtney Chase; and two grandchildren, Jeff and Kevin Cregg. Calling hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Robert D. Gray Funeral Home in Skaneateles. There will be a private burial service for the family. A celebration of her life will be held 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 13, at the Sherwood Inn. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Margaret's name to the Skaneateles Historical Society.