Margaret Stuvel

Margaret Weston Stuvel 3/12/1927 - 1/5/2015 Margaret Weston Stuvel passed away peacefully in her home on January 5, 2015. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard (Bernie) Stuvel and her parents, John and Mildred Weston. She is survived by her five children, John (Shana) Stuvel, Barry Stuvel, Kevin (Maureen) Stuvel, Nancy (Rod) Williams, and Greg (Lisa) Stuvel, twelve loving grandchildren and two great-grandsons. Margaret was born on March 12, 1927 in Peoria, Illinois to John and Mildred Weston, the eldest of two daughters. Born two years before the stock market crash of 1929, on the cusp of the Great Depression, life was not always easy for the young family. Yet, raised with a will to work hard and in an atmosphere of love and acceptance, young Margaret thrived. She attended Bradley University and received her teaching degree. As a young woman with an independent spirit, she shocked her family with her decision to travel by train to Colorado, since she had heard there was a need for teachers in the west. She knew no one in Colorado and her first home was a room at the Denver YWCA. Having been raised Unitarian back in Peoria, she sought out the Unitarian Universalist Church, and there, met Bernard Stuvel, a fellow teacher at Denver Public Schools. The two fell in love and were married in 1951. Five children soon followed. Although she had her own career as a teacher when she first came to Denver, Margaret became a "stay-at-home" mom during these early days of their marriage. She had her hands full, taking care of her four energetic boys, and her "not to be outdone by her brothers", daughter, Nancy. All this, while overseeing the building of a larger house, in a brand-new development in north Denver. This is the house in which she raised her family and spent the rest of her life. This busy, yet idyllic, life was soon to take an unexpected turn. When John, the oldest child was 15, and the youngest, Greg, not yet five, Bernie (as he was known), was diagnosed with cancer. Margaret spent the next year not only taking care of her dying husband, but also taking the necessary classes to get her Colorado teaching certificate renewed. She knew she would be supporting this active family on her own. After Bernie's death in 1967, she helped the children through their heartache at losing their father at a young age, got a job teaching 2nd grade in the newly formed Adams County School District 50, and somehow managed to keep food on the table and the children on the right path. In the midst of all of this craziness, Margaret was still a devoted daughter - her own mother was still living - and a mom who understood the value of education and travel. Although it could not have been easy for a single mother raising a family of five on a teacher's salary, she still made sure that her children (often with their grandmother in tow) travelled as much of the North American continent as they could in a station wagon. Each trip was an adventure and a learning experience. Much of Margaret's life was one of duty and taking care of others. After her retirement, however, she was able to revisit that young, independent woman with a pioneer spirit...the one that defied the norms and expectations of what a young woman in the Midwest during the 1940's "should be" and how she "should behave". Rather than baking pies, babysitting the grandkids, and knitting afghans, the way many of us envision a retired "grandma" behaving, Margaret once again rose above the expectations and instead decided to fly, both literally and figuratively. Margaret embarked on a new life of travel, adventure, and civic involvement. She fiercely embraced the opportunities offered by the Elderhostel organization and Ports-of-Call, allowing a "woman of a certain age" to safely travel the world alone. Through these wonderful groups, Margaret was able to go on a safari in Africa, study the exotic bird species in Trinidad and Tobago, and trek through the rainforests of Costa Rica. She rappelled down the side of a cliff at an age when many of us are simply looking forward to a comfy armchair and maybe a good program to watch on television. She has visited four continents, as well as all fifty states in the U.S. She has stated that she "has no regrets about her life" because she has seen and experienced so much. Of course, her favorite place to visit was her own cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan. Pentwater, Michigan is a tiny, "blink and you'll miss it" village halfway between Muskegon and Ludington - a tourist village that has one main street and a striking resemblance to the fictional town of Mayberry. The cottage itself is nestled in the woods, but walk 300 feet over the dunes and you'll be greeted by a vast expanse of pristine, white sands, and the clear, calm waters of Lake Michigan. This is the place that Maggie, as she is known to her friends there, spent every summer of her childhood, and of course, introduced her own family to when they were only infants. You can walk for miles along the shore, and Margaret did so for years, before her knees told her that it was time to slow down. Even so, she still spent every summer at the cottage, filling her days reading, doing crossword puzzles, and enjoying the company of the many families whom she only saw during her Michigan summers. Each of her own children and grandchildren would visit for their two weeks in the summer, but Margaret was the one that opened the cottage in June, and stayed until Labor Day weekend, when she hosted her cousins for the final closing before winter snows came. Each family member has a special place in our hearts for "our" beloved Lake Michigan gem, but the essence of all our memories will always be the quiet spirit and presence of Margaret, who shared this hidden treasure with us. When she wasn't travelling, Margaret developed a rich life of volunteerism and involvement in community affairs. For many years she served as the editor of the Unitarian church's newsletter, "the Ploughshare", as well as the newsletter for the League of Women Voters. Knowing the importance of civic duty, she was an active member of the Democratic Party, attending caucuses and serving as an election judge. Until her health prevented it, she spent every Wednesday in downtown Denver at Metro CareRing foodbank, and many a morning reading with schoolchildren at the local elementary school. Margaret enjoyed playing bridge with her many friends. Always an avid reader, she was an active member of her book group, the "Bibliogours", enjoying both classic literature and the latest bestsellers. One of the hobbies that she especially enjoyed was bird-watching. She was an avid birder who devoured everything avian-related, keeping extensive journals of the birds she had seen, and taking trips to places near and far to study species in their native environments. Margaret was a kind and non-judgmental human being who never had a negative thing to say about anyone. She was always there to lend an ear, offer a helping hand, or to simply be a supportive presence when needed. Although she had done and seen much during her lifetime, she was never one to boast and always modest about her accomplishments and her many journeys and adventures. She was the matriarch of a large and diverse family, and the magnet to whom everyone gravitated back to, no matter where their lives took them. She was highly intelligent and her mind was sharp up until the end of her life. Her great, yet gentle spirit has now gone out into the universe to become a part of all that is good and benevolent. It is a spirit that lives in each of the individuals whose lives she has touched with her kindness, her compassion, and her merciful and embracing nature. A memorial service to honor this outstanding woman will be held at 3:00 p.m., Friday, January 30, 2015 at the First Unitarian Church of Denver, 1400 Lafayette St. in Denver. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the First Unitarian Church of Denver or to a charity of your choice.