Margaret Henson Singer

FALMOUTH - Margaret Henson Singer, 95, died on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at her home in Falmouth, in the company of family. Her passing came suddenly just 11 weeks after that of her "precious sweetie pie," Richard Bunker Singer (Dick), her husband of 63 years.
Margaret is survived and deeply missed by her three children, Elizabeth Maule Estey (Larry) of Stonington, Permelia Sears (David) of Dunstable, Mass., and Richard H. Singer (Etsuko) of Hoffman Estates, Ill.; by her four granddaughters, Catherine Maule (Dave McKechnie), of Toronto, ON, Patia Maule (Ian Ramsey) of Bowdoin, Rebecca Sears of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Ann Singer of Hoffman Estates, Ill.; by one great-granddaughter, Evelyn McKechnie of Toronto, ON; and by her sister, Theda Henson Braddock of Orleans, Mass.
Margaret was born on Jan. 27, 1915, in Pueblo, Colo., to Paul Palmer Henson and Theda Parker Henson. After her father completed medical school her family moved to Cape Cod, and she spent most of her youth there, where she became an avid sailor. She enjoyed racing small craft such as her Wianno Senior "Wiki Wiki," and won many racing trophies.
Margaret graduated from Barnstable (Mass.) High School in 1932 and Bradford Junior College in 1933, before going on to pursue higher education. She received an AB in zoology from Smith College in 1937, where she sailed and played basketball, and an MA in biology from Wellesley College in 1939, doing some of her summer research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. In 1942 she earned a Ph.D. in biology from New York University, where she also taught. Her dissertation research focused on the effects of radiation in embryology. In 1942 she enlisted as a WAVE in the U.S. Naval Reserve and served until the end of the War. Her research with the USNR concerned aviation medicine.
It was while she was stationed at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center in Bethesda, Md., that Margaret met Dick, a flight surgeon in the U.S. Naval Reserve. They were married in Hyannis, Mass., on Feb. 22, 1947, and soon started a family. Margaret and Dick raised their three children in Cohasset, Mass., between 1952 and 1979, where they were members of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. They retired to York in 1979 and attended St. George's Episcopal Church. They had been members of the OceanView community in Falmouth, and St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Falmouth since 1992.
Among her many creative pursuits, Margaret became a skilled weaver. She had been a member of the Weaver's Guild of Boston and was a long-time member of Mainely Weavers. To family, her weaving was not only a hobby but a metaphor for her role as mother, grandmother and matriarch, because there was nothing more important to Margaret than family. She worked tirelessly throughout her life, not only to give her loved ones every opportunity for education and enrichment, but also to impart her strong values for hard work, resourcefulness, respect for one another and for one's heritage, service to one's community, and faith in the Lord. She was practical and thrifty, never wasting or taking anything for granted, yet she was extremely generous toward those in need. She never let doubt get in the way of anything that she wanted or needed to do, and subsequently was an extremely accomplished woman. But for all of that Margaret remained humble, rarely referring to any of her achievements and never acknowledging any sacrifices on her part. She was an inspiration to many in her life, not only her children and granddaughters but also fellow members of the communities of which she was a part.
Quietly but persistently, what Margaret wanted above all was for her loved ones to cherish each other and to build their own loving families in turn. One could not help but be awed by the enduring strength of the love, respect, and tenderness that Margaret and Dick shared for more than six decades. Although she missed him terribly, Margaret had not given up on living. She had attended Mother's Day festivities on the weekend prior to her death, participated in her weekly swimming class the day before, wove in the morning and had her hair done that afternoon. She was in the midst of several ambitious weaving, knitting, and embroidery projects, and was making plans to learn how to email this summer.
A memorial service celebrating Margaret's life was held Saturday, May 22, 2010, at St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church in Falmouth.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the OceanView Residents' Assistance Fund.