Obituary of Margaret Jean New

The flowers in Heaven are blooming brighter now that a new angel is tending the gardens.

 

 Margaret (Peggy) Jean New, 92, passed away on June 26, 2021 in Tacoma, Washington.  Margaret was born on September 16, 1928 in Linesville, Pennsylvania to Arthur and Bernice Butterfield.

 

 Shortly after graduating high school in 1946, she met the love of her life at the town’s newly opened roller-skating rink.  Margaret & Frank were married on April 23, 1952 in Denver, Colorado where Frank was going to school to become an airline mechanic.  While in Denver, Margaret worked for Mountain Bell as a telephone operator. Frank’s career with United Airlines took the family to Washington State, where they lived and raised their family. They adopted two children, Mary in 1959 and Timothy in 1960.

 

Above all else, Margaret cherished her family.  She loved being a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  She was a master at maintaining contact with family and friends, sending out letters and cards on almost a daily basis, written in her impeccably beautiful cursive handwriting.  Margaret had the ability to recognize and create beauty in her surroundings.  Her photo albums were full of her beloved “cloud” pictures.  Her greatest passion though, was gardening.  Her vast botanical knowledge and ability to create and tend unforgettable gardens, left many in awe.  She was quick to say that her favorite job, besides being a wife, mother, and grandmother, was working in the greenhouse at the Puyallup Fairgrounds, where she worked until 2009, retiring at the age of 81.

 

Margaret was proceeded in death by her husband Frank and son Timothy, parents Arthur and Bernice Butterfield, brother Paul “Bud” Butterfield and sister Marian Surovick.  

 

She is survived by daughter, Mary New and daughter-in-law Julie (Doug) Wicker, grandchildren Rachel (Kyle) Nelson, Wade (Ellie) Sparks, Colin Hill, Brandon New and Mason New, great-grandson Rider Nelson, sisters Keith McGuire and Alice (Paul) Gehr, and numerous nieces and nephews.

 

Margaret will be laid to rest with her beloved husband at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Tacoma, Washington.  A Celebration of Margaret’s Life will be held on Sunday, July 25^th.  Please contact family for details.

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