Margaret Curry Gregg
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
Margaret Curry Gregg, who raised a family in four world capitals during the height of the Cold War before returning to the 1845 farmhouse where she grew up, died at Northern Westchester Hospital on Mar. 1. She was 91.
The eldest child of R. Eugene and Margery Metheny Curry, she was born in New York City on July 16, 1930, and raised on a rural dirt road in Armonk. After attending the one-room Middle Patent School, Meg, as she was known, graduated from Pleasantville High School, then majored in Russian at Middlebury College, graduating in 1951. She went to work for the CIA in Washington, but throughout her life declined to tell her children what she did, saying that she had taken an oath never to say.
She met her future husband, Donald P. Gregg, in a shared cab taking them from Union Station to Georgetown, the Washington neighborhood where they both lived. Though they both worked for the CIA, she outranked him. Don was assigned to the island of Saipan and came back on home leave to propose; they were married on July 4, 1953, and, after their honeymoon, flew to Saipan.
As a mom, she was warm and engaging with her three children, whether in Tokyo; what was then-known as Rangoon, Burma; Seoul, South Korea; and in Washington. With every move she created a new home for the family, always filled with laughter, daily family dinners and life lessons about doing the right thing.
Meg was an outstanding partner to Don, in life and throughout his diplomatic career, as a gracious hostess, sage adviser and loving wife. She focused intently on everyone she talked to and was also an elegant dresser with a radiant smile who loved to dance. Thanks to a Chubby Checker record, Meg and Don could boast that they brought The Twist to Burma. She immersed herself in the culture of every country in which she lived and established lifelong friendships.
Although she gave up her agency career in the 1950s, Meg was employed over the years as an editor, development officer and residential real estate agent. She was regularly involved in volunteer work, including Girl Scouts, church vestry, international schools and women’s groups while overseas. She also taught English conversation in Tokyo during the 1950s and studied Sogetsu ikebana, a type of Japanese floral art.
Meg’s final overseas tour was in Seoul, where her husband served as U.S. ambassador from 1989 to 1993. In honor of their decades of work to advance American relations in East Asia, the Donald P. and Margaret Curry Gregg Professor of Practice in Korean and East Asian Affairs at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University was established by their friend Spencer Kim in 2009.
After Meg’s parents died, Don and Meg moved in 1995 to her childhood home in Armonk, where she became active with several groups, including St. Stephen’s Church, the Armonk Outdoor Art Show and a book group formed with other Nadeshikokai friends in the New York area who had also lived in Japan. She also served on the board of the Friends of the North Castle Public Library, the Middle Patent Rural Cemetery Association and the Vestry of St. Mary’s Church, and was a member of the Bedford Club.
Along with her husband of 68 years, she is survived by her three children, Lucy Gregg Buckley, of Washington, D.C.; Alison Gregg Corcoran and her husband, Edward J. Corcoran, of Boston; and John P. Gregg and his wife, Mary Ceglarski Gregg, of Westminster West, Vt.; a sister, Jan Harrison, of Providence, R.I.; a brother, Ren Curry, and wife Nancy Knudegard of Santa Cruz, Calif.; and several Curry and Metheny cousins. She was predeceased by a brother, Jay Curry, of The Netherlands.
She also leaves six grandchildren: Caitlin Gregg Buckley and husband Michael John Leavey, William Conor Buckley, Sgt. Edward Gregg Corcoran, Alexander Curry Corcoran, Margaret Emaline Corcoran and Tyquan Lamont Davis. She was also a hands-on “Aunt Meg” to beloved nieces, nephews, godchildren and other relatives and remained close to the children of departed friends. Meg recently was contending with heart problems and had broken her hip in a fall last month.
Funeral services will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Armonk on Saturday, Mar. 12 at 11 a.m. For those not able to attend in person, the service will be streamed at www.ststephensarmonk.org. The service will be followed by a reception at the St. Stephen’s Parish Hall. A private burial will follow the reception.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Middle Patent Rural Cemetery or the Friends of the North Castle Public Library.
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