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Margaret A. Chavez, 53, Lewiston
The following is the obituary for Margaret Chavez that appeared in the Lewiston Tribune on Tuesday, April 24.
Margaret Ann Chavez died Sunday, April 22, 2007, in Lewiston.
Margaret was born Oct. 15, 1953, to Martin and Patricia McDonagh in Anchorage, Alaska. The family moved to California in 1955, where she attended Catholic school, climbed trees, rode her bike with her brothers, played with the dolls her grandmother made, mowed lawns with her father and enjoyed art projects with her mother.
After graduating from St. Frances De Sales High School in 1971, she attended Riverside Community College and received her Associates degree in Nursing. She moved to Los Angeles, and it was there that she met her husband Celso. Love at first sight led them to marriage and beginning their family.
After 12 years they decided to fulfill their dream of leaving California and found Lewiston to be the perfect place to call home. Margaret immediately became involved with St. Stanislaus Tri-Parish School as a volunteer in the library. Her voracious love of children's literature as well as education flourished during her time at St. Stan's. She decided to return to school and received her bachelor's of science degree in education from Lewis-Clark State College in 1994. She then returned to St. Stan's and worked as the first-grade teacher, technology coordinator and was constantly involved in school events and fundraisers.
Margaret was a lifelong learner. She would return to school as a student two more times, to receive her master's in education and later her doctorate of philosophy in education, both from the University of Idaho. She graduated at the top of her class with both degrees. She was hired as an associate professor at LCSC after completing her master's.
In 2003, Margaret was named the Regional President of the National Association of Multicultural Education. She was honored to represent this group and was dedicated to their cause. This winter she received the honor of being nominated for tenure and promotion after completing her electronic portfolio, the first of its kind in her division. She was dedicated to her students and courses, never missing a day of work. She was constantly working on projects and taking notes for articles she was writing. Her?to-do list was endless.
Margaret was a woman of great compassion and love. She found joy in her family, camping, hiking, fishing, gardening, even whitewater rafting with her son as her guide. She could spend an entire day reading a book and still manage to have her house clean and cook meals for her loved ones. She loved cooking big holiday meals and always gathered the family together for dinner.
She truly followed her bliss and was constantly inspired by her students of all ages. She does not want us to mention a battle of any kind, but we can easily say she was the most courageous and graceful woman we will ever know.
"God, I know you wouldn't give me anything I couldn't handle, I just wish you didn't trust me so much." - Mother Teresa.
Margaret is survived by her parents, Martin and Patricia McDonagh of Lewiston; her loving husband of 32 years, Celso; her children, Jephrey and wife Jaclyn of Lewiston, Leah Chavez of Helena, Mont., Megan Chavez of Lewiston, and Sean Chavez of Portland. Ore.; two stepsons, Celso and Carlos Chavez of Los Angeles; brothers, Mike McDonagh and wife Terri of Moreno Valley, Calif., and John of Seattle; her grandchildren, Josiah, Selah and Elijah Chavez, Vincent Chavez and Noah Herr; nieces, Niki Brierley and Alyssa Holmes; nephews, Shawn Heath, Charlie Chavez, Matthew McDonagh and Martin McDonagh; and her constant companion, Sophie.
A memorial to celebrate Margaret's life will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. A reception will follow at the church.
In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to the Margaret Chavez Education Scholarships at either LCSC or St. Stanislaus Tri-Parish School.
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