Margaret Kolvenbach
Mrs. Margaret “Maggie” Kolvenbach died peacefully on Oct. 18 at the age of 87.
Maggie is survived by her husband of 62 years, Gordon. She was mother to six children: Mary Hacopian, her husband Hamo and their children Alex, Emily and Nikko; Ann Kolvenbach and her partner Gary Stevens; Joan Jacobsen Leyva, her husband Henry Leyva and their children Grace Jacobsen and Ella and Theo Levya; Beth Waggoner, her husband George and their children Daniel, Josiah, Lydia, Nathan and Sara and great-grandchild Oliver; John Kolvenbach and his children Baker and Hollis; and Laura Olson, her husband John and their children Claire, Jack and Margaret. Maggie was preceded in death by her parents, Perc and Inez Mattison, and her sister, Ann Frisch. Maggie’s favorite things in life were laughing and spending time with her family.
Maggie was born on May 22, 1933, in Winona, Minn. She graduated from Iowa State University with a home economics degree, which she put to good use for her entire life. After graduating college, she moved to New York City and worked at Family Circle in the test kitchen, creating recipes for the magazine. In 1963, Gordon, Maggie and their four children moved to Mount Kisco, where their two younger children were born.
Maggie will be remembered for all that she did for her community. She was dedicated to volunteering and did it her entire life. She was an active member of the West Patent Elementary School PTA. She served as the enrichment chair, scheduling and working with hundreds of volunteers to share their specialties with the students. She taught CCD classes at St. Francis of Assisi. She worked with the public library to offer summer art courses for the children in town, including hat making, tie-dyeing and making a quilt that hung in the library for many years. In later years, Maggie volunteered at the Mount Kisco Child Care Center and drove for FISH for more than 20 years.
Maggie was a woman of great talents and varied interests. She was an avid seamstress her whole life. She sewed her children’s clothes, including embroidering and smocking dresses for her five girls and granddaughters. She was a master and award-winning quilter, creating more than 40 personalized quilts and wall-hangings for her family members. She loved to knit and was known for gifting a tomato hat to newborn children.
Maggie was passionate about learning and staying active. She learned calligraphy, paint with watercolors, quilt, knit and decorate cakes. She practiced yoga daily, swam laps in the summers and took daily walks with her husband. Maggie’s gardens were magnificent as she tended to them daily with her “garden walks.”
A mass was held for Maggie at St. Francis of Assisi on Oct. 20. Her wishes were to have her body donated to New York Medical College to further medical science.
