IN MEMORIAM
Margaret ‘Aunt Marge’ Mathews, 108;
Oldest Member Of St. Mary’s Church
ONEONTA – Margaret “Aunt Marge” Mathews, at 108 the oldest living parishioner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and likely the oldest person in Oneonta, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, at Fox Nursing Home.
Margaret Mathews was born Margaret DeFiore, on Oct. 9, 1908, in East Meredith. She was the daughter of Pasquale DeFiore and Angelina Longo DeFiore. She married Thomas Mathews on Feb. 22, 1930.
A lifetime resident of Oneonta, she was active in St. Mary’s Rosary Society. She also was a member of the Perserverence Lodge, the Oneonta Business Women’s Club, the Italian-American Club, and the Columbiettes of the Knights of Columbus.
Marge was an avid reader, a skilled seamstress and a constant walker. She enjoyed dancing, arts and crafts, and playing Bingo. Her work experiences included being a bookkeeper for General Cash and Victory stores and working in a defense plant during WWII. Later she was a supervisor at Fairfield Apparel, Inc. in Oneonta.
Marge and her husband, Tom, enjoyed an active lifestyle including extensive U.S. travel, hunting, fishing, and bowling.
She volunteered at the Salvation Army, St. Mary’s Bingo and Thrift Shop, Saturday’s Bread, Meals on Wheels, and Girl Scouts of America.
Marge was predeceased by her husband, Thomas, in 1982, her three sisters, Antoinette Angellotti, Domenica Bagnardi and Josephine Bagnardi, and several nieces and nephews.
She is survived by one nephew, Francis Angellotti (Barbara), of Guilderland, and three nieces, Natalie Schneider (Ralph) of Henderson, Nev., Angelina Lombardo of Albany, and Johanna Welge of Inwood, W.Va., and Carol Ann Bagnardi, wife of the late Albert Bagnardi, as well as many great nieces and great nephews. She was also blessed with many wonderful devoted friendships that she made throughout the years.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, in St. Mary’s Church. There will be no calling hours.
Burial will take place in the spring at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Emmons.
Contributions in Aunt Marge’s memory may be made to St. Mary’s Building Fund, 39 Walnut Street, Oneonta, NY 13820, the Salvation Army, 25 River Street, Oneonta, NY 13820, or Saturday’s Bread, 66 Chestnut Street, Oneonta, NY 13820.
Condolences to the family may be made online by visiting our website: www.grummonsfuneralhome.com
Local arrangements are by the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home of Oneonta, NY.
