Margaret M. Keating

Margaret ""Marg"" Wilson Keating Born on January 6th, 1919 in Napa, California, Margaret was the middle child of Wallace Wilson and Catherine Mary Holsten Wilson. Her mother was a recognized and well known school teacher in the Napa Valley whose first teaching position was in a one room school in Napa County. She was only 19. Her father was the youngest of three children. In 1900 his family - farmers by trade - moved to Napa to a ranch on the famous Silverado Trail. One of the neighbors down the road from this ranch was the Fred Jepson family. Fred's brother was Otto Jepson. As Margaret was to write later as she tried to preserve what family history she could find or remember - Otto was her future husband's grandfather. And as she said - ""you see, our families were friends long before we met - in fact before we were born."" Her father attended business school and because he didn't wish to work cooped up in an office all day used his share of the sale of the family ranch to purchase a ranch at the top of Atlas Peak in Napa County. This property is now filled with some of the most beautiful vineyards in Napa and home of the Atlas Peak Winery. Margaret writes: ""We had no electricity and all the good stuff that goes along with that. Our refrigerator in those days was an outside cooler covered with burlap sacks with running water over it to keep things cool. Our lights were kerosene lamps and all the farm work was done with horses pulling plows."" Margaret's dad loved the ranch life. He raised mostly fruit: pears, peaches and grapes. And Margaret writes, ""Dad and mom had such good times there and wonderful memories of their good neighbors."" Hard times hit the ranching industry and this was especially tragic for her folks as a disease hit the grape vines and wiped them out. So, to help them survive, her dad took a job on the construction crew that was building the Mulligan Dam. When the dam was completed they left the ranch and her dad became the dam keeper - a job that still allowed him to work outside. Margaret had a brother Johnny and a sister, Ruth. While at the Mulligan Dam property, her brother passed away at the age of eight from an infected appendix. This was a tragic blow to her parents and soon after the family moved down the hill closer to town. The place is now called Bubbling Wells and has a pet cemetery on the property. The view from this house was fantastic and on a clear day they could see into San Francisco. Margaret began first grade at Columbus school - a one room school where her mom was the teacher. This was a very unsettled time in her parents life and her father decided to go into construction work with his brother, Albert. Margaret was very happy as a small girl in the country, but writes, ""I enjoyed life as a small town girl."" She graduated from Napa Union High School in 1936 and briefly attended a business school when she was able to get a part-time job at the Napa branch of the Poultry Producers of Central California. It quickly became full-time...six days for $12.00 a week. She became a bookkeeper and by the time she left was making $50.00 a week. When she left there she became office manager of the Napa Prune Association - now know as Sunsweet Prunes. She was working there when she married Bud Keating who she met at the 50th anniversary party of those long-time friends Emmy and Otto Jepson, Bud's grandparents. It doesn't appear that Margaret's family had any formal religion, although both of her parents were buried following Christian Science services. Margaret was a member of the Napa Assembly of Rainbow Girls and contributed outstanding service to the organization having served as Worthy Advisor and a member of the state executive committee of the Grand Assembly. She was also a Charter Member of Gamma Lambda Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi and served as president of that sorority. As Bud would write in his memories, Marg came to see him a few times while he was briefly stationed for training at the Naval base in Alameda, California or he would drive to Napa to visit his grandparents; but the majority of their courtship was by mail as Bud was sent to Hawaii as Shop Chief responsible for the camouflage crew serving airplanes and aircraft carriers following Pearl Harbor. Marg used to love to tell the story that while Bud was in Hawaii, he was corresponding with two Margaret's. Once she received a letter intended for the other Margaret. Margaret and Bud were married in Berkeley, California at a quiet church ceremony on October 18, 1947 and settled in a new home in Inglewood, California where Bud was in business with his father. After his dad's death, Bud took over the business and soon Marg supported him by assuming all the bookkeeping and correspondence. As a married woman, Marg loved to garden - her garden was truly beautiful. She loved music and dancing and was an avid sports fan. The Dodgers were her team! Even in her 80's she never missed a ""Breakfast at Wimbledon"" or the Olympics and the Shalom Park Staff always looked to see if there was a sports event on TV for her to watch. In February of 1950, Mary Catherine was born in Inglewood to Marg and Bud - and was named after Marg's mother Catherine Mary. Once Mary started school, Marg became involved in Mother's Club and formed friendships that would last until her death. In those days, Marg didn't attend church on Sunday, so MC grew up thinking that all mothers had breakfast ready when the rest of the family came home from church. She held many positions in those Mother's Clubs and Women's Councils and in 1967 when she became the President of the Mother's Guild at St. Mary's Academy where MC attended high school - she said, I really think that someone who is president of a Catholic high school Mother's Guild should go to Mass on Sunday. So the tradition changed - Mass and out to breakfast every Sunday - always with the ushers and their wives. Bud was an usher at the 9:00 Mass for at least 45 years and served as head usher - responsible for the special Masses and events. Those ushers along with their wives were the best of friends. They had monthly pot-lucks and card parties that would go for hours. At the age of 53, Marg was baptized a Catholic as a surprise to her daughter, MC - and made her First Communion at MC's first vow ceremony as a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In August of 1995, Bud passed away from liver cancer. And so at age 77, Marg was ""on her own"" for the first time. She possessed the strength of many women in her generation and often would say, ""You just do what you have to do and move on."" In 1998 Marg moved to Arizona to be near her daughter, Mary Catherine. While in Mesa, Marg had more friends in her retirement community and a better social calendar than many teenagers. She was always on the go. In 2001 she was briefly slowed down by a broken hip that required a replacement, but after surgery and a brief rehab, she was back at home and on the go with her friends. She sold her home in Arizona and moved to Denver in 2005, this time to move in with MC and Lynn. Another hip replacement, fractured pelvis from a fall, and a stroke required that she become dependent on full-time care. In April of 2007 Marg moved to Shalom Park in Aurora, where she would spend the remainder of her days. It became home for her and a second home for Mary Catherine. Margaret received wonderful care from the staff at Shalom Park and in her final days from those at Beth Nahamah Hospice. No surprise that one of her favorite places to go with MC on a spring or summer morning was to the reflection garden on the grounds of Shalom Park. Margaret was a wonderful wife and loyal friend. Her friendly, cheerful, gentle spirit warmed many hearts as did her great sense of humor and loving smile. Whether it was taking in Bud's mother or a nephew who appeared on the doorstep with his dog and all of his belongings or being sought after for her wisdom and advice, Margaret responded with grace and compassion. Her life was one of service and lasting friendships. Shortly before her death on July 26th - her friend Helen Welch summarized her perfectly, saying Margaret was born with her strength, but chose to be sweet. Margaret passed away while the Eucharistic ministers from St. Michael's, Helen, Lynn and MC surrounded her bedside and prayed the Our Father. It was a beautiful and peaceful passing. She is at peace and happy to be ""home"".