Margaret F. Anderson

[ Originally published on: Thursday, November 19, 2009 ]

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Margaret Falconer Anderson, age 88, passed away at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital on Nov. 5, 2009, after a brief illness.

She was the daughter of the late Douglas Platt Falconer and Margery Annesley Hoyt and the sister of Douglas P. Falconer, Jr., and George H. Falconer, both deceased.

She is survived by nieces, Patricia (Mrs. Verdi) DiSesa of Philadelphia, Diane Rochfort of Boston, Martha (Mrs. James) Schlueter of Phoenix, Margaret (Mrs. Rome) Busa, of Cleveland and Constance (Mrs. Joseph) DiGiullio of San Francisco; 13 grandnieces and grandnephews and grandsons F. Douglas Anderson of Greenfield, Mass., and Scott W. Anderson of Leeds, Mass.

Margaret, affectionately known to her near and dear as ''Muggsy,'' was born in East Aurora, N.Y., on Dec. 2, 1920. She attended public school in East Aurora and Manhasset, N.Y. She attended high school at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1943 and received a master's degree in social work from Columbia University in 1945.

Her professional career began as program director of The Neighborhood House in Syracuse, N.Y., from 1945 to 1949. She became the director of residency Children's Service Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., from 1949 to 1950. She moved back to New York to serve as probation officer and administrative supervisor for Onondaga County Children's Court in Syracuse from 1950 until 1955. She also served as a medical social worker for the New York Medical Center of Upstate N.Y. from 1955 until 1956.

She was married to Frank Whitten Anderson (deceased), president of Miners National Bank of Wilkes-Barre in 1956. She became active in many community programs including years on the General Hospital Auxiliary. Following the 1972 Hurricane Agnes disaster, she was a member of the Flood Recovery Task Force. She also served as chair of the Welfare Planning Council of the United Way and as president of the board of the Children's Service Center.

In 1963, Margaret and Frank built their dream house on Strawberry Hill in Loyalville, Pa., where they lived with their many Labrador retrievers. Widowed in 1983 after 27 years of marriage, she continued to live on Strawberry Hill. She started the Meals on Wheels program in the Loyalville area. She was a beloved caregiver to many of the elderly in her community.

In 2001, due to health problems, Margaret moved to Heritage House, a retirement community in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. At Heritage House she met George Thompson, a fellow resident and retired engineer, whom she married in 2004. George died unexpectedly in November of that same year. After a sojourn in Massachusetts, to be close to family and friends, Margaret returned to Wilkes-Barre in 2007 to live again at Heritage House, where she continued to make friends and receive family for the remainder of her life.

Margaret took a lively interest in politics and was a lover of books with which she surrounded herself. She was active in her book club. Her dogs--the many Jacks and Jills--and the deer that populated Strawberry Hill gave her great joy. She enjoyed classical music, bird watching, gardening, and as a young woman, tennis and swimming, and spent many happy times at the family summer home at Pocono Lake Preserve. She was a longtime member of the Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Dallas.

A service of remembrance will be held at Prince of Peace Church in Dallas, Pa., on Dec. 12, 2009 at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Correspondence may be sent to Margaret Falconer Busa, 14822 Hillbrook Lane East, Novelty, OH 44072.

 

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