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Margaret Alphin Obituary
Margaret Marie Branch Alphin. 80, passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at her home in Verona.
She was born on February 20, 1945, in Nelson County to the late James Collie, Sr. and Mollie Mae Moyer Branch.
Margaret loved gardening and always had a beautiful yard full of flowers. She was a wonderful cook, and her meals brought comfort to everyone who sat at her table.
Music was a big part of her life-she enjoyed country and gospel, but bluegrass was her favorite.
She loved spending time with her family and close friends, and she had a special place in her heart for her pets.
She is survived by her children, Abby Dunning Huffman and her husband, Michael from Stuarts Draft, Gary Lee Dunning and his wife, Carolyn Ann from Linville and Larry Edward Dunning and his wife, Mary Kathleen from Indiana, Beverley Ann McCrave and her husband, Michael from Florida; her stepdaughter, Lynn Dee Morris of Staunton; her brother, Glenn P. Branch; her sister, Barbara Branch Wilson; her special friends, Don Fitzgerald and Wanda Via; her beloved pets, Nikki and Tom; nineteen grandchildren; thirty great grandchildren; five great-great grandchildren; a number of other special friends, and nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Lee Dunning; her second husband, James Wilson Alphin; her brothers, Bernard “Buck” Crafton, James Odell, Willard Thomas, James Collie Brand, Jr., and Cecil Overton Branch; and her sisters, Joyce Elaine Branch Dunning and Ethell May Branch.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Henry Funeral Home in Staunton.
A funeral service will be at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at Mount Vernon Church of the Brethren with Pastor Dwight Roetto officiating.
Interment will immediately follow at Augusta Memorial Park.
Memorial donations may be made to Mount Vernon Church of the Brethren (90 Mount Vernon Road, Waynesboro, VA 22980), Hospice of the Shenandoah (c/o Augusta Health Foundation, P.O. Box 1000, Fishersville, VA), or the University of Virginia Health Foundation’s Pancreatic Cancer Research (UVA Health Development, P.O. Box 800773, Charlottesville, VA 22908, memo line; Pancreatic Cancer Research).
Guests attending the funeral are encouraged to bring a single flower to the service in her honor.
Henry Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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