July 2, 2021, 88, Morehead City –
Margaret Frances Hodson Phelps of Morehead City, North Carolina, born in Ithaca, New York, passed away on July 2, 2021 at the age of 88.
Margaret was proud of her Scottish heritage, hailing as only a second-generation American. Her maternal grandparents were both Scottish immigrants that valued hard work and achieved the American Dream of having land and afar, Bonnie Brae, in what is now Acadia National Park in Maine. Margaret’s early introduction to plants and the American Dream shaped most of her lifelong pursuits.
Margaret was incredibly smart, arguably, she could have also been a doctor had she been born in a different era. Her ambition as a young girl was to be a doctor and to help people and research cures. Margaret knew a lot about plants, science, math and home economics. She excelled at gardening and sewing. In her late 50’s, Margaret went back to school and attained her Medical Record Technician certificate; a feat that she was very proud of.
At the age of 11, she met her future husband, Ernie, and loyally spent over 70 years by his side. Margaret supported her late husband’s academic career, moving all over the United States during their younger years. In the mid-’80s, they settled and retired in NC, calling it home for the remainder of their lives.
Margaret loved to travel and was a world traveler. She enjoyed many exotic and luxurious destinations during her lifetime. Margaret’s love for travel and her family was so profound that at the age of 70, she decided to take her granddaughter on a three-week trip to Ireland and back via a transatlantic voyage.
Margaret was extremely dedicated to ensuring that all of her offspring reaped the benefit of the American Dream that she so loved. She felt strongly that women should be able to pursue their ambitions and achieve higher education. She famously loved to quote, “A son is a son until he takes a wife. A daughter is a daughter for the rest of your life.” She felt blessed to have had a daughter, granddaughter, and three great-granddaughters. In total, she was the proud mother of two, grandmother, to four and great-grandmother to five. She enjoyed several other bonus great-grandchildren by marriage as well.
In retirement, Margaret enjoyed crossword puzzles, swimming daily at the local YMCA, gardening in her yard, and bonding with her great-grandkids. Margaret was very honest and forgiving. She lived by the golden rule, “Do unto others as you’d have done to yourself.” She was incredibly kind (unless you crossed her) and loved her family deeply. Margaret was a true matriarch to our family and will be deeply missed by all.
She was predeceased by her parents, Helen Jack Renwick Hodson and Elmer Chandler Hodson, and her husband, Dr. Ernest Edward Phelps. She is survived by her children, Brian Edward Phelps (Diane Carlson) of Jenks, OK and Elaine Phelps Van Hoy (Charlie) of Goldsboro; her grandchildren, Jessica Keller (Fred) of Charlotte, NC, Charles Kley (Alexa Woollven) of Fredericksburg, VA, Joseph Phelps of Bemidji, MN, and Daniel Phelps of Tulsa, OK; and her brothers, George E. Hodson (Renaté) of Phoenix, AZ, and Alfred H. Hodson, II of Sanford, ME.
