Margery Mae Mccrory

In Loving Memory of Margery Mae McCrory
Beloved daughter, wife, mom, grandmother and great-grandmother

Margery’s journey began July 5, 1945 in Chula Vista Calif. Born to Dorothy and Freddy Downes. Earl Blakely. Margery had an older sister Betty still living in WA and soon had a younger brother Jimmy who passed in 1986. Margery’s mother Dorothy divorced shortly after Margery’s birth and married the man Margery called dad, Earl Blakely who officially adopted her.
As a child Margery loved animals, loved to roller-skate with her cousins and friends and especially loved to ride horses. A pretty little blonde with curls and brown eyes she was a tom-boy and a daredevil at heart climbing trees with all the boys. She loved to tell the story of how she was the President and only girl in the Daredevil club. She loved to sing and sang in the church choir for many years. In fact, after her cancer one of the things she frequently commented on was how much she missed being able to sing.
Margery attended Elementary and High School in Chula Vista, where she met her husband-to-be on a blind date at 16yrs old. Loren and Marge dated for the next year and half and were married June 1, 1963. They have been inseparable since. Marge and Loren would have celebrated 56 years this June.
This wonderful marriage took them both through many adventures. After their marriage they moved back to Loren’s home area in CO, moved to Canada to work on Dairy. Margery was a city girl from SD and this particular move had big adventure. The ranch hand’s house did not have indoor plumbing so in the middle of the brutal-cold winter they would have to traipse out to an outhouse. Several times the local squirrel had been in the outhouse and stole the TP, stringing it through the tree-tops …Loren wanted to shoot the squirrel on many occasions, but Margery being the animal lover would not allow that! You just made sure to always have a spare tissue on the trip…just in case. Eventually the 2 ended up in Kansas where they put roots down in the small farming communities of McDonald and Bird City. They started attending the McDonald Federated Church. Even though Margery was raised in the Episcopal church her entire life she started her personal relationship with Christ through Pastor Swihart’s teachings. Margery forged strong relationships and life-long friendships here that last still today.
In 1967 Margery and Loren had their first child Shawn, followed by Morgen in 1970 and Braden in 1975. The next 18 years were full of raising kids and living a life on the farm. Margery taught Sunday School, worked in the kid’s classrooms, baked special birthday cakes, attended sporting events, nursed scraped knees, counseled romantic breakups and kept the tribe in-line. Margery recently told Loren…our greatest gift and accomplishment is our children…he agreed but credits her with being the one that did the hard work.
In 1986 Margery was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The tumor was on her heart and lung sacks and completely inoperable. The diagnosis was not good…2 weeks. But that was the doctor talking, not the Lord and the doctor didn’t know Margery. With radiation and immense chemo, she battled back from Cancer. The family sold the farm and moved to California in 1988 so that Margery could be with her mom and dad in what would most likely be her last years.
In California Margery started the next Chapter in her life. Having always had the job of mom and wife, she now was excited to be able to get a job. Her first paying job was at Mervyn’s where she worked in the jewelry department. She loved this job and meeting and working with the public. After a couple of years, she moved on to Palomar College where she worked in Health Services for nearly 20 years. She made many good friends, made a positive Christian impact and was well loved.
It was also during this time Margery had her first grandchild Ema in 2000 and Riley to follow in 2006. Her grandchildren were the light of her life. Margery loved little babies but especially hers. She read stories, taught them how to pray and cuddled and loved on them. She was especially good at giving pedicures in the sink to a young Ema.
But cancer treatment had left Margery in a weakened state. With 33% of one lung and 75% of the other, combined with damaged heart tissue, she battled fatigue, pneumonias and increasing weakness.
In 2011 the family decided it was time to retire and for the family to move back to CO, which after many trips and searches for property they did, ultimately it was Margery who found the family home they now have.
Immediately Margery became involved in the Dove/Creek community. She went to school functions with Ema. They attended the Church that just happened to be across the road, Margery joined the Bible study, played cards with the Canasta group and generally fit in like they had always been here. Many good friends were made and happy times enjoyed.
This winter had been a tough one with increasing fatigue and ailments but the news of a new baby on the way…her new great-granddaughter was the bright spot. Londyn May arrived February 18th. Many hours of live Face-timing and hundreds of conversations and photos were shared.
April 19th Margery was called home; too early in the minds of those that loved her. Her heart that had loved so deeply and been the strength for all those in her life just wore out. We were blessed with 30 more than we should have had. Margery leaves behind her legacy in her children, grand-children and great-grandchildren.