Obituary for Margo Earley
Margo Earley [June 24, 1931 – February 5, 2021]
Margo Earley (Margaret Dyckman Griffith), born June 24, 1931, in Syracuse, New York, died peacefully at home on February 5, 2021, with family by her side and in view of Mt Hood, as she wished. Margo grew up in Washington, D.C., graduating from Sidwell Friends School, before attending Oberlin College in Ohio, where she majored in Zoology and minored in Music. Four months later, on September 8, 1951, she married George Earley, her husband of 69 years.
After a brief time in Wilmington, Delaware, then West Hartford, Connecticut, she and George moved to Bloomfield, Connecticut, where they lived for nearly 35 years, raising David, Steve, Kate and Christine. An avid hiker from childhood, for the next three decades Margo organized family summer camping and backpacking trips, initially in the Appalachian and Adirondack mountains, and then throughout the Rockies, Sierra Nevadas, and northwest Cascades, as well as into Canada, Alaska, and the European Alps. At home, she sang in the church choir – including a number of years as a paid soloist – served on school parent committees, volunteered at an inner-city hospital in Hartford, performed in a local theatre/operatic group, and began a lifetime commitment as a blood donor, (over 25 gallons).
An accomplished cook, Margo sustained her family on delicious meals, homemade bread and brownies, and well into their adulthood, she mailed to each child her divine homemade birthday cake, made tastier for the time in transit. Thanksgiving and Christmas were not complete without her traditional Baked Alaska.
In 1989, Margo and George moved to Oregon to begin a new life, pursuing a love of the wilderness and a passionate advocacy for the environment, while living on the lower slopes of Mount Hood. Together they raised a number of beloved malamutes, graciously welcomed countless friends from all over the world, hosted family gatherings, as well as the Lincoln High School Constitution Class’ annual winter retreat, community meetings, and First Aid and CPR training courses.
Over many summers, Margo volunteered on trail maintenance crews (Mazamas and Sierra Club) and, for more than 15 years, led numerous backpacking trips in the Northwest (including for the Sierra Club). During this time, she maintained certification in either Wilderness First Aid or Mountaineering First Aid, serving as First Aid Shepherd for Oregon Wild, the Wilderness Society and Friends of the Gorge on local hikes up and down the Columbia Gorge.
Margo also served for 15 years on the Board of the Hood River Valley Residents Association (now THRIVE), and for 10 years on The Wilderness Society’s President’s Council. She summited Mount Rainer (once) and Mount Hood (three times) and hiked over 800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, including all of the John Muir Trail. She could recite elevations of mountains she had climbed decades earlier and had an encyclopedic knowledge of almost every trail she had hiked.
Margo was also a gifted writer with a poetic turn of phrase – and some poetic licence! – and her annual Christmas letters and family emails (written by hand, before typed) were always a delight to read.
A Sierra Club trip to the Everest region inspired Margo to support a Nepalese village 50 miles from Mount Everest, funding health care there for more than 15 years, eventually assisting the community to establish a medical clinic several years ago. It is no surprise that her two final tasks, before calling for an ambulance, were to finish casseroles for upcoming guests and send her 2021 donation to Nepal.
Margo is predeceased by her husband, George, her sister, Julia, and her grandson, Shawn. She is survived by her two brothers, Larry and Steve and their wives, four children and their spouses, 13 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.
Donations in her memory may be sent to: THRIVE (PO Box 1544, Hood River, Oregon 97031 or https://www.thrivehoodriver.org/ ) and/or The Wilderness Society (1615 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 or https://www.wilderness.org/ )
Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.
Margo Earley (Margaret Dyckman Griffith), born June 24, 1931, in Syracuse, New York, died peacefully at home on February 5, 2021, with family by her side and in view of Mt Hood, as she wished. Margo grew up in Washington, D.C., graduating from Sidwell Friends School, before attending Oberlin College in Ohio, where she majored in Zoology and minored in Music. Four months later, on September 8, 1951, she married George Earley, her husband of 69 years.
After a brief time in Wilmington, Delaware, then West Hartford, Connecticut, she and George moved to Bloomfield, Connecticut, where they lived for nearly 35 years, raising David, Steve, Kate and Christine. An avid hiker from childhood, for the next three decades Margo organized family summer camping and backpacking trips, initially in the Appalachian and Adirondack mountains, and then throughout the Rockies, Sierra Nevadas, and northwest Cascades, as well as into Canada, Alaska, and the European Alps. At home, she sang in the church choir – including a number of years as a paid soloist – served on school parent committees, volunteered at an inner-city hospital in Hartford, performed in a local theatre/operatic group, and began a lifetime commitment as a blood donor, (over 25 gallons).
An accomplished cook, Margo sustained her family on delicious meals, homemade bread and brownies, and well into their adulthood, she mailed to each child her divine homemade birthday cake, made tastier for the time in transit. Thanksgiving and Christmas were not complete without her traditional Baked Alaska.
In 1989, Margo and George moved to Oregon to begin a new life, pursuing a love of the wilderness and a passionate advocacy for the environment, while living on the lower slopes of Mount Hood. Together they raised a number of beloved malamutes, graciously welcomed countless friends from all over the world, hosted family gatherings, as well as the Lincoln High School Constitution Class’ annual winter retreat, community meetings, and First Aid and CPR training courses.
Over many summers, Margo volunteered on trail maintenance crews (Mazamas and Sierra Club) and, for more than 15 years, led numerous backpacking trips in the Northwest (including for the Sierra Club). During this time, she maintained certification in either Wilderness First Aid or Mountaineering First Aid, serving as First Aid Shepherd for Oregon Wild, the Wilderness Society and Friends of the Gorge on local hikes up and down the Columbia Gorge.
Margo also served for 15 years on the Board of the Hood River Valley Residents Association (now THRIVE), and for 10 years on The Wilderness Society’s President’s Council. She summited Mount Rainer (once) and Mount Hood (three times) and hiked over 800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, including all of the John Muir Trail. She could recite elevations of mountains she had climbed decades earlier and had an encyclopedic knowledge of almost every trail she had hiked.
Margo was also a gifted writer with a poetic turn of phrase – and some poetic licence! – and her annual Christmas letters and family emails (written by hand, before typed) were always a delight to read.
A Sierra Club trip to the Everest region inspired Margo to support a Nepalese village 50 miles from Mount Everest, funding health care there for more than 15 years, eventually assisting the community to establish a medical clinic several years ago. It is no surprise that her two final tasks, before calling for an ambulance, were to finish casseroles for upcoming guests and send her 2021 donation to Nepal.
Margo is predeceased by her husband, George, her sister, Julia, and her grandson, Shawn. She is survived by her two brothers, Larry and Steve and their wives, four children and their spouses, 13 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.
Donations in her memory may be sent to: THRIVE (PO Box 1544, Hood River, Oregon 97031 or https://www.thrivehoodriver.org/ ) and/or The Wilderness Society (1615 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 or https://www.wilderness.org/ )
Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.