Obituary of Margaret Galbraith

Margaret passed away peacefully at St. Mary's General Hospital, Kitchener following a brief illness, on September 7th, 2011, in her 88th year. Predeceased by her loving husband Bill in 1995, her dear parents Edward and Alice Wismer (nee Stouffer) of Kitchener, her beloved brother John of Hamilton, and parents-in-law Will and Verna Galbraith of Wingham. Greatly missed by son David of Hamilton, daughter Julie and son-in-law John Becker, granddaughter Andrea and grandson Jake, of Waterloo, and sister-in-law Betty of Hamilton. Margaret will be missed by her many cousins, nieces and nephews, and by her large circle of friends. Margaret was born in Kitchener in 1924. Graduating from Special Commercial at KCI in 1942, she did "war work" assembling gas masks at Kaufman Rubber, worked in the office at Kaufman Lumber and then returned to KCI to work in the office there in the 1940s and 1950s. She stopped working when her family started to grow, but enjoyed university night courses into the 1970s. She was an avid reader, enjoying historical dramas, mysteries and romance. Margaret cherished her closest friends and started playing bridge with them in the 1940s. Bridge gave way in the 1980s to birthday luncheons that continued until recently. She loved the Kitchener area and also the cottage at Lurgan Beach, where she formed many close friendships. Attending Trinity United Church in Kitchener, where she met Bill, Margaret moved to Emmanuel United in Waterloo in the 1990s. She also volunteered at the Zion United Church Resource Centre. Very proud of her deep Pennsylvania German roots, she volunteered for several years at the Joseph Schneider Haus Museum and enjoyed talking about her grandmother Annie Maria Schneider, who was born in the house in the 1860s. In 2009 Margaret moved to Sunnyside Home in Kitchener. She was very fond of the staff and her fellow residents at Riverside and Castle Kilbride Houses. She, and the family, deeply appreciated the support and compassion of everyone there. The family would like to express our deepest appreciation to the paramedics and medical staff of St. Mary's Hospital who provided us all with loving support during Margaret's last days. At Margaret's request, cremation has taken place. Everyone is invited to visit with the family from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday September 13th at Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo. A celebration of Margaret's life will be held in the chapel of the funeral home at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday September 14th, followed by a reception in the Fireside Reception room of the funeral home. In lieu of flowers the family request donations to the Lung Association in Margaret's memory, and they may be arranged through the funeral home at 519-745-8845 or www.erbgood.com