Obituary of Margaret Naomi James

OBITUARY FOR MARGARET NAOMI JAMES (online) Margaret Naomi (nee Samuels) James was born in Detroit, Michigan 4/3/1925. In early childhood, her family moved to Minnesota, where Margaret spent happy years in the small town of White Bear Lake. She graduated from high school there in 1943 before returning with her family to Detroit. She worked several clerical jobs, most notably seven years with Equipment Manufacturing as a switchboard operator and secretary. This is where she met her future sister-in-law, Beatrice Thomas, who took up Cupids bow and quiver and introduced "Margie" to her younger brother Donny. Beas matchmaking skills were superb: Marge and Don were married at Our Savior Lutheran Church on September 14, 1951, embarking on a blissful marital journey which would last 66 years! They had one child, daughter Karen, but added a well-loved son-in-law, Wayne Pratt, in 1979. Grandsons Taylor (1991) and Devon (1995) joined the family of six which would spend countless days and weeks together at the cherished family lakeside cottage, on motorhome trips, and for joyful holiday celebrations. A member of Our Savior Lutheran Church for a quarter-century, Margaret was an active member of the Deborah Circle. Don and Marge moved to Clinton Township in 1976 and they transferred to St. Luke Lutheran. At St. Lukes Margaret was a member of the Womens Guild, cooked and baked for funeral receptions, and also worked for many years cleaning the altar. Margaret loved animals, birds and nature, and all things beautiful. She adored flowers and gardening; plays and musicals and art museums; big band music and dancing; antiques; cooking, baking, and entertaining; and enthusiastically decorating for every holiday. She was a consummate hostess. Her parties always included games and prizes, a lavish board, and much laughter. She loved working crossword puzzles, and was an avid reader. The last three years of her life, Margaret fought heart disease with every ounce of energy she could muster. She was incredibly brave, undergoing three heart valve surgeries which were all cutting-edge medicine. She was among the first few patients in the nation to be included in the studies for her second and third valve replacements. The last surgery was filmed, and will be used to train 25,000 surgeons. To the last, Margaret was brave and generous. She was kind to every doctor, nurse and aide, even when she was not feeling well. She learned and remembered all of their names, and always expressed appreciation for their care. A memorial service will be held on December 13, 2017, ll:00 AM, at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, 15 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, 48236. Visitation for the family will be at 10:00AM in the second floor church lounge. Donations in Margarets memory may be sent to The Michigan Humane Society or the Nature Conservancy. Margarets heart was kind. She loved family, friends, and this world deeply. We rejoice that it is now beating strong again, in a gloriously better world, where the garden is filled with colors and blooms beyond our imagining; where the blush is once more on her cheek; and the dew is still on the roses.