Margaret Kendrick

1947 - 2018

Margaret Anna Kendrick

August 4, 1947- August 19, 2018

Margaret, born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, moved to Davis, California in 1950. In 1965, she graduated Davis Senior High, honored with the Gordon H. True Service Cup, signaling her future of service to the arts, social justice, education, and family.

She attended Mills College before transferring to UC Berkeley, where, in 1970, she received an Art History degree (minor in Art Technique). During the summer of 1968 she interned at Washington, DC's National Gallery of Art.

She met her husband Angel Contreras while working as Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development.

Margaret lived her adult life in the Bay Area as an avid arts supporter. She was a Footloose Dance Troupe member, San Francisco Ballet subscriber, and San Francisco Children's Art Center Board of Directors member. She earned an M.A. in museum studies from San Francisco State University. She landed her dream job as a Documentation Specialist in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Collections Information and Access department, participating in establishing an online database of its permanent collection, documenting the "life" events of the museum's art.

She was also dedicated to children's health and education. After the birth of her daughter she ran a preschool in her home. For many years she participated in Support for Families of Children with Disabilities. From 1992 to 2000 she was the registrar and special event planner at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. When her daughter started playing power soccer, she supported the Bay Area Outreach Program (BORP), which provides people with disabilities adaptive sports and recreational activities.

Margaret is survived by her mother Barbara Kendrick of Davis; daughter Edana Contreras of San Francisco; granddaughter Alexis Contreras of Beaverton, Oregon; three siblings: Paul (Kathi) Kendrick, of Sunnyvale; Nancy (David) Gray, of Woodland; and Tobin (Andrea) Kendrick, of El Cerrito; five step-children: Kerma, Chris, Kevin, Kalene, and Kim Contreras; and many beloved grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 35 years, Angel Contreras; her father John W. Kendrick; brother Stephen Kendrick; and step-daughter Kateri Atanacio.

As expressed by her SFMOMA colleagues, Margaret's "kind spirit, perpetual smile, and consummate professionalism brightened . . . each day. [Her] love for the arts expanded far beyond the galleries . . . her passion [extending] to a number of arts and cultural organizations in the Bay Area."

Memorial donations may be made to BORP, http://www.borp.org/ or the SF Children's Art Center, http://www.childrensartcenter.org/