Margaret R. "Miss Margaret" Hall, 62, died Friday, July 16, 2010, at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
She was born on June 14, 1948, in Wilkes-Barre, a daughter of the late Clements George and Sylvia Leid Solinsky. She was a 1975 graduate of Penn State, majoring in early childhood education. On Jan. 1, 1977, she married George L. Hall, and the couple resided in Boalsburg.
She is survived by her husband and two daughters, Carrie, of Pittsburgh and Amanda, of State College. Her infant son, Kevin, died at birth. Margaret was also the legal guardian of a developmentally disabled woman, Tina Hicks, of State College. She is also survived by two sisters, Deborah Tyira, of Kingstown, and Agnes Preddie, of Trinidad; and a brother, Peter Solinsky, of Wilkes-Barre.
After graduation from Penn State, Margaret worked for two years for the Wilkes-Barre Child Development Council, first as a teacher and then as the director of a day care center in Hanover Township. When she moved to the Centre Region, she worked briefly at Home Health and then for several years at Strawberry Fields. Her proudest achievement was her work as a Montessori teacher at Our Children's Center in Lemont. "Miss Margaret" had a great impact on the children and parents of OCC over the years. She was a wonderful teacher and was renowned for the cooking classes she added to the curriculum and for the bake sales she organized.
Although poor health forced her to retire in 1999, she continued to keep in touch with her former students and their families. Many of them came to honor her at a birthday celebration held at the Nittany Lion Inn on her 62nd birthday. Margaret was a member of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church and a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She also enjoyed spending time with people at the Senior Citizens Center. She was known by many as a loving, caring, generous person. She loved making greeting cards for her friends to celebrate birthdays and other occasions. She was an avid collector of butterfly memorabilia and because she was born on Flag Day, she loved to display the American flag. She also shared her daughter, Amanda's, love of the peace sign. She was very proud of both her girls.
Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. July 19, 2010, at the Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 820 Westerly Parkway, State College. Father Charles Ugo, a good friend of Margaret's, will officiate. Interment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in Snow Shoe. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, 526 Westerly Parkway, State College, PA 16801, to the Senior Citizens Center, 131 S. Fraser St., State College, PA 16801, or to a charity of the donor's choice. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College.