Margaret UPHAM

OBITUARY MARGARET UPHAM CLARKE Margaret "Peggy" Upham Clarke, eighty-six, a former resident of Montreal and Stowe, Vt. Passed away peacefully on June 21 in West Palm Beach, Fla., at the Good Samaritan Hospital Hospice facility. She was born Oct. 30, 1919, in Mount Vernon, Ohio, daughter of James Anthony and Mabelle Grier Upham, and graduated in 1941 from Mt. Holyoke College. She met John "Mac" Maguire Clarke on a cruise on the St. Lawrence River aboard the "NorthStar" of the Clarke Steamship Co. in 1939, and they were married two years later in Quebec City on Sept. 6, 1941. They had four children, James, Julienne, Jean and Grier. The family lived in Montreal and Stowe, and later Peggy and Mac retired to Palm Beach, Fla. In Montreal, Peggy was head of publicity for the Montreal Junior League and volunteered at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. In Stowe, she was an avid supporter and volunteer for the Helen Day Art Center and an active member of the Lamoille County Players, where she was a performer and choreographer for many of the troupe's summer musicals. In West Palm Beach, Peggy headed the volunteer program at the Norton Museum of Art, and led its library program. After being part-time residents of Stowe from 1954 to 1962, Peggy and Mac moved permanently to Stowe and purchased the Mountain Road Motel and Centre Motor Lodge. Mac ran the hospitality business, and Peggy launched Village Interiors. Peggy and Mac resided at their beloved "Deerwood" residence on Brush Hill Road in Stowe, where Peggy was most happy sharing the Clarke hospitality with friends from around Stowe and Montreal. Peggy and Mac retired to Palm Beach in 1984, but returned home to Stowe every summer to be with their close friends and family. Peggy had a full, happy and spiritual life. All who had the great pleasure of meeting or knowing her, loved her. Throughout her life, she was celebrated as a generous, beautiful and dignified lady with a heart of gold - a person who was dedicated to the needs of others on a personal level, as well as in her support of the Catholic Church, the arts, and community organizations. She celebrated life through her love of dance and was well-known for her talents on the dance floor. An active sportswoman, she enjoyed the assets of Stowe's outdoors by skiing and playing tennis and golf. She was a loving, caring, and dedicated wife, mother and grandmother, always putting her family first. Her kindness and concerns for others came naturally to her; she always made us all smile. Predeceased by her brother James Grier Upham of Mount Vernon, Ohio. Survivors include her husband, John Maguire Clarke of West Palm Beach and Stowe; her sister, Jean Upham Sauter and husband, George, of Mansfield, Ohio; her sons, John Grier Clarke and wife, Gunnel, of Stowe and James Upham Clarke of Palm Beach; her daughters, Julienne Margaret Douglas and husband, John, of Stowe and Jean Grier Clarke of Denver; her grandchildren, Devon Douglas of Washington, D.C., Kerry Douglas of Burlington, and Christina Clarke and Ingrid Clarke of Stowe; her niece, Peggy Sauter of Asheville, N.C.; and nephews Gus Sauter and wife, Karen, of Malvern, Pa., and James Sauter and wife, Kristi, of Chicago. The funeral was held June 23 at St. Edward Catholic Church in Palm Beach. A memorial mass will be said at Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe August 12 at 10:30 a.m. For information, call 253-7116. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution in Peggy's name to the Arthritis Foundation, 6 Chenell Drive, Suite 260, Concord, N.H. 03301; and Helen Day Art Center, School Street, Stowe, VT. 05672. Published in the Montreal Gazette on 6/30/2006