Margaret Olivia Hawkins

Margaret Olivia Hawkins KETTERING, Ohio — Margaret Olivia Hawkins passed away on Feb. 24, 2019, after a brief illness, in the company of her immediate family. Margaret, or Peggy as her friends knew her, was a war baby, born April 30, 1943, in Stratford, Connecticut, to Jean Armand (Stevenson) and Arthur Hawkins (both deceased). She graduated from Hanover High School, in Hanover New Hampshire, in June 1961. She married Horace Duke in July 1962 and they moved to Barre, Vermont, and settled in Williamstown, Vermont, where she became active in the church and worked as a stringer for The Times Argus. They later divorced and she moved to Hartford, Vermont, where she worked for CREL and later, Suburban Propane. In 1994, Margaret moved to Kettering, Ohio, where she worked at National City Mortgage until she retired in 2005. She joined several knitting and quilting groups teaching anyone with an interest, and became active in Stitches of Love and Crafting for a Cause. Among her other favorite hobbies was royal-watching, cheering for her beloved Red Sox, bragging about her Vermont roots and her impressive collection of giraffe and Elvis memorabilia. Margaret is survived by her brother, Ken Hawkins and wife MaryJane and their children; her own children John Duke and wife Peg and their children, Holly Pyles and husband Christopher and their children, and Heather Duke and her daughter. In addition, she leaves a large number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews, and a small, but mighty, circle of friends.

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