Margaret Hench Underwood

MARGARET HENCH UNDERWOOD

WINTER HAVEN - Margaret Hench Underwood died on June 26, 2017, in Winter Haven. She was 88. She died of complications from a stroke.
Margy was born in Charlottesville, Va. on May 14, 1929. She attended St. Anne's School and graduated from Swarthmore College in 1950 with a degree in history and art.
She married Oscar Wilder Underwood III in 1953. Their two daughters were born in Charlottesville. Three years into their marriage, Oscar, Margy and their young daughters moved to Pittsburgh, Pa. for three years. Then, they moved to Merritt Island, Fla. for four years. In 1966, they moved to Winter Haven where Oscar and Margy lived for 51 years. Oscar was a civil engineer by profession.
Margy was a homemaker. She was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church and a former president of the St. Agnes Guild at the church. In her community work, she was a volunteer and served on the board of directors of the Good Shepherd Hospice of Auburndale. She also served on the boards of the Ridge Art Association and American Red Cross. She was a charter member of the Junior League of Winter Haven.
A life-long sports enthusiast, Margy competed in women's field hockey on a national level. She was also a four-time Virginia state tennis singles champion from 1948 through 1951. She enjoyed playing tennis at the Lake Region Yacht and Country Club in Winter Haven.
Among her lifelong interests were travel, hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, vegetable gardening and bridge. She was a member of the Winter Haven Bridge Club.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Virginia M. and Atcheson L. Hench of Charlottesville, Va. Her father, Professor Emeritus of the University of Virginia, was awarded numerous academic honors and was a 1957 Fulbright Fellow. Margy was also preceded in death by her uncle, Philip S. Hench, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Hench was awarded the 1950 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Her sister, Clare Showalter Hench, preceded her in death in 2010.
Her loving husband, Oscar, died four days before Margy on June 22, 2017, as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 91. They were married 63 years.
Margy is survived by her two daughters, Ellen Underwood of Winter Haven and Margy Hodgson of Dunwoody, Ga.; her son-in-law Keith Hodgson of Dunwoody, Ga.; her grandson, Charlie Hodgson of Dunwoody, Ga.; and many cousins.
A memorial service will be held for both Margy and Oscar at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Friday, June 30, at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the church parish hall. Memorials can be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 656 Avenue L NW, Winter Haven, 33881.
Condolences to the family can be sent to
www.oakridgefuneralcare.com .