| Name | Margaret Lillian RICHARDS |
| Occupation | Teacher1 |
| Birth Date | Feb 28, 19132 |
| Birth Place | Warkworth, Percy Twp, Northumberland Co. ON Canada |
| Death Date | Mar 21, 19851,3 |
| Death Place | Castleton, Cramahe Twp, Northumberland Co. ON Canada |
| Death Memo | bronchiolitis obliterans |
| Burial Date | 19851 |
| Burial Place | Castleton, Cramahe Twp, Northumberland Co. ON Canada |
| Burial Memo | Castleton Cemetery |
| Education | Peterborough Normal School (1931-32)4 |
| Father | James Nelson RICHARDS (1885-1926) |
| Mother | Clara Jessie WILSON (1886-1937) |
| 1 | Robert Eric McKAGUE |
| Father | John Bruce McKAGUE (1880-1972) |
| Mother | Lena Maud McGREGOR (1879-1967) |
| Children | Carla Anne |
| Margaret Linda | |
| Eric Richards |
"MARGARET LILIAN RICHARDS
"Mrs. Robert Eric McKague
"On Thursday, March 21, 1985, Margaret McKague passed quietly away at her home in Castleton, after a long illness. She was 72 years of age. Mrs. McKague was born in Warkworth, Ontario, on February 28, 1913, to James Nelson Richards and his wife, Clara Jessie Wilson. Her father and grandfather were both doctors in Warkworth. She had lived in Warkworth for 25 years, Toronto 3 years, Warkworth 7 years, Toronto 12 years, Montreal 10 years, and Castleton for 15 years.
"Margaret Richards was married in Toronto to R. Eric McKague on September 10, 1938. She is survived by her husband and three children, Eric Richards McKague of Castleton, Carla Anne McKague of Toronto, and Margaret Linda van Will of Ajax. She leaves two sisters, Edith McKenzie of Cobourg, and Clara McDonald of Peterborough, and also five grandchildren, Michelle McKague[,] Erica van Will, and Jennifer, Benjamin and Menya Wolfe.
"Mrs. McKague had taught school at Eddystone and had been a supply teacher in Toronto. She was a member of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Warkworth, and of the Blue Banner Group of that church. She founded the Castleton Stamp Club and organized and led the Castleton Story Hour for the children of the area. She was active in the Castleton Women's Institute and in the Cramahe Baptist Mission Circle.
"Friends were received at the Allen Funeral Home in Warkworth. The funeral service was held on March 23, 1985, in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Warkworth, with Rev. Gunar Kravalis officiating. Margaret had planned her own funeral, choosing the hymns, and the passages to be read from the King James version of the Bible.
"Lead Kindly Light Unto the Hills
"Proverbs 31 Who can find a virtuous woman......
"John 14 In my Father's house are many mansions..
"Revelation 21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth... / And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
"After delivering his eulogy, Mr. Kravalis read the poem Crossing the Bar, which Margaret had requested. Tennyson's poem had been read at other funerals in her family.
"Sunset and evening star, / And one clear call for me! / And may there be no moaning of the bar, / When I put out to sea,
"But such a tide as moving seems asleep, / Too full for sound and foam, / When that which drew from out the boundless deep / Turns again home.
"Twilight and evening bell, / And after that the dark, / And may there be no sadness of farewell / When I embark,
"For though from out this bourne of time and place / The flood may bear me far, / I hope to see my Pilot face to face / When I have crossed the bar."
"In his eulogy Mr. Gordon Tobey, minister of Cramahe Baptist Church, spoke of the great contribution Margaret had made to the community. For years she planned, directed and rehearsed the Christmas programme at Cramahe Baptist Church. After speaking of the years of pain and handicap which she had endured without complaining, he read the poem Up-hill by Christina Rossetti.
"Does the road wind up-hill all the way? / Yes, to the very end. / Will the day's journey take the whole long day? / From morn to night, my friend.
"But is there for the night a resting-place? / A roof for when the slow dark hours begin. / May not the darkness hide it from my face? / You cannot miss that inn.
"Shall I meet other wayfarers at night? / Those who have gone before. / Then must I knock, or call when just in sight? / They will not keep you standing at that door.
"Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak? / Of labour you shall find the sum. / Will there be beds for me and all who seek? / Yea, beds for all who come."
"The pallbearers at the funeral were nephews, D'Arcy McKague, David and Douglas Kvistbo, Glenn Stephens, James Rusk and Timothy Clinton. Temporary interment was in the vault in Warkworth Cemetery. Later in the spring, burial will be in Castleton Cemetery.
"Friends and relatives were served a lunch in the church basement by the Blue Banner Group of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church."3
Ethel appended a note to her obituary: "In January Margaret suffered a sudden attack of excruciating pain from her arthritis and was taken to Cobourg Hospital. After about two months there, she was moved to the chronic care ward, where she was most unhappy. During the March school break, when Linda and Erica were spending the week in Castleton, the family decided that they would bring Margaret home and somehow manage to care for her by having adequate help. [Note: This is in error. Margaret was already home when Linda and Erica arrived. Carla was also there on the weekend.1] When Carla [Note: should be Linda1] went home, Jim's wife, Mary McKague, stayed one night. Margaret was very weak, and in terrible pain, after still another vertebrae [sic] broke and she developed shingles. Morphine was prescribed, and then the amount was doubled. A night nurse was hired. [Note: Linda does not remember a night nurse, although several qualified family members and neighbours shared nursing duties.1] Leila Kvistbo went down to stay a few days. Margaret was too weak to talk much, but was lucid and spoke a few words to visitors. On Thursday morning, March 21, 1985, the night nurse[?] left, after making Margaret as comfortable as she could for the day. Mary had driven down from the farm, and she and Leila [Note: Wanda, Margaret's daughter-in-law, was also present1] were sitting with Margaret and called Eric in. At last Margaret's long struggle was over, and she just stopped breathing. She had been at home from the hospital for eight days."3
BIRTH: Her birthdate is also wrongly given as Feb 13, 1913.6
MARRIAGE: The year of her marriage to Eric is confirmed as 1938.6 The marriage is confirmed with no date or place given.5