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Margaret Hooper Connaughton - Southport

Margaret Connaughton was born Margaret Jane Hooper on July 3, 1916 in Salisbury, NC, the youngest of nine children of Edward H. and Mildred G. Hooper. The family moved to Lexington, NC around 1921, where she graduated from high school and worked in the public library. She met Mark P. Connaughton [“Connie”] on St. Patrick’s Day 1941 and they married on September 12 that same year in Salisbury, NC. They lived in the Washington DC area (Silver Spring MD) until 1947 when they moved to Arlington, VA, where they made their home until 1972.

She was the mother of four children: oldest is Ann Felker of Arlington, VA; Mark P. Connaughton Jr. of Portland, OR; Michael E. Connaughton of Minneapolis, MN; and Patrick J. Connaughton, who resides in Southport. She also has 10 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, residing in California, Virginia, New York, Georgia, Minnesota, and Japan.

In June of 1972 Margaret and Connie, along with Patrick, moved to Southport on his retirement from government service in the Army Corps of Engineers. She immediately joined the Southport Woman’s Club and the Woodbine Garden Club and continued an extraordinary range of civic and organizational work such as she had engaged in for thirty years in Northern Virginia.

Margaret served several years as Woman’s Club president, 2nd vice president, public affairs chairman, chaplain, international affairs chairman, and publicity chairman. She has participated in numerous Club activities such as: Heritage House, Holiday House, and has served as Arts Festival Chairman, in which she was especially active in awarding The Sallie Southall Cotten Scholarship to eligible South Brunswick High School seniors.

For many years she served as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Southport Community Building (until it burned down), a joint endeavor between the Southport Woman’s Club and the Southport Lion’s Club.

Other volunteer interests included: The North Carolina 4th of July Festival, serving as Finance and Publicity Chairman. In 1972, she and Eileen Sunder were co-organizers of the present Dosher Hospital Volunteers. Margaret served as president, during which time she helped start the juice cart and was instrumental in getting TV’s in all patient rooms. She also helped start the Dosher flee market and helped it expand four times, with the last move being to the old Hood building on Moore St. When not serving as president she also worked as a volunteer at Dosher for many years. She was the Crusade Chairman for the Cancer Drive in East Brunswick County from 1977 to 1980.

Margaret’s real love was gardening, and she held numerous offices, including serving as president of the Woodbine Garden Club. She has planted trees, flowers, maintained library grounds, hospital grounds, and nursing home grounds and helped to beautify many areas of Southport and surrounding towns, including the Historical Brunswick Town site.

Margaret’s civic activities began early in life, as a young lady she was a Girl Scout leader, Sunday school teacher, and sang in the Baptist Church choir. Her early employment in the Davidson County Library carried forward to her great interest and effective work with the Brunswick County Library system, especially the Margaret and James M Harper Library in Southport. She served as chairperson and as a member of the Brunswick County Library Board, and was active in the Southport Oak Island Friends of the Library.

Margaret was very active in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, serving as Sunday School Coordinator and teacher, Altar Society President, Parish Council member, and served on the Deanery and Diocesan Social Services Boards. She was also instrumental in getting the Interfaith Church group started and served on the group’s early board.

In recent years, she focused her energies on establishing the Brunswick Adult Medical Clinic, which she served as Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity and Grants writer. She served on the organizational boards of this clinic, and the New Hope Clinic of Southport. Both organizations provide free care for the working poor.

Margaret lived 65 of her 96 years in North Carolina, with the last four decades being spent in Southport, watching and helping it grow. She died on February 10 after a seven-month illness.

The funeral mass will be held at 12:00 noon on Friday, March 15, 2013 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Reverend Trent Watts officiating.

Peacock-Newnam & White Funeral and Cremation Service, Southport
 


 


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