O'BRIEN, Margaret Kilpatrick Retired Duxbury High School Teacher 79, passed away peacefully in the company of her family on October 7, after an extended battle with breast cancer. A longtime Duxbury resident, Margaret taught at Duxbury High School for 24 years, retiring in 1998, and was president of the teacher's union for part of that time. She was well-loved by her students, many of whom credit Marge with influencing their decisions to choose careers in the sciences. She graded AP chemistry exams, an honor only given to the top chemistry teachers in the country. In her earlier years Marge worked for a Nobel Prize winning chemist, and she received a full merit scholarship to Gettysburg College, where she was Phi Beta Kappa and a chemistry major (Class of 1959). As a high school student, Marge had the record high GPA at her high school.
As Duxbury residents, Marge and her family were members of St. John's Episcopal Church. After moving to Richmond, Virginia, to be closer to their children and grandchildren, Marge and her husband Jim became members of the St. David's Episcopal Church in North Chesterfield, Virginia.
Marge was a great teacher, a loving and devoted wife, an incredible mother and grandmother, a great friend. She was a brilliant mind, a joyful spirit, a kind soul. She treated everyone with respect. She was such a positive influence on so many, and she made the world a better place. She will be missed dearly by all who knew her.
Marge leaves behind her loving husband Jim O'Brien, now of Richmond, Virginia; daughter Claudia O'Brien and her two boys, Dylan and Colin of McLean, Virginia; son Scott O'Brien, his wife Emily, and their three children, James, Annie, and Benjamin, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and sister Ruth Rine, of Greencastle, Pennsylvania.
Memorial services will be held at St. David's Episcopal Church in North Chesterfield, Virginia, on October 15, 2:00 pm; and at Trinity United Methodist Church in McLean, Virginia, on October 22, 2:00 pm. Visit the CaringBridge website for Margaret for more details as they become available, www.caringbridge.org/visit/margaretobrien.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Margaret's name to the Gettysburg College Chemistry Department, https://www.gettysburg.edu/alumni2/give/.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
2 Entries
May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.
Marg
November 3, 2017
Claudia, so sorry for the loss of your mom. Prayers, comfort and hugs to you, your dad and family.
Rebecca & Janet Raynes
October 17, 2017
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