Margaret Detwiler

Margaret Moore Detwiler, who was known as Peggy to her friends, died on April 7, 2009 at the age of 94. Peggy was born Margaret Mary Moore on June 10, 1914, in Peking Beijing, China, the second of four children of Frederick and Edith Mary Moore. Fred Moore was a newspaper correspondent reporting on the Chinese Revolution. Later, when he worked for the Japanese Foreign Office, the family lived in Japan and in Washington, D.C. In Washington, Peggy attended the National Cathedral School for Girls and George Washington University. She and her mother opened a store in Washington called Asian Arts to sell art and furniture imported from China and Japan.

Peggy married Samuel B. Detwiler, Jr., in 1936. Following their subsequent
orce, she and her daughter Bonnie lived in England, Ohio, and Kansas, where she published an article in National Geographic titled Hays, Kansas, at the Nations Heart. After joining households with her brother, Dr. John Stewart Moore, she and Dr. Moore moved to Roswell in 1951 where he became Roswells first orthopedic surgeon.

In 1959, Peggy joined the staff of the Roswell Museum and Art Center as the membership secretary. Using her knowledge of retailing, she soon took over management of the museums gift shop, building it into a store reflective of the museums collections and the interests and educational needs of its visitors. She also handled publicity and did a weekly TV show about the museum. She retired after more than 22 years of service. Peggy continued her interest in acting by participating in the Roswell Community Little Theater, appearing in plays such as Home is the Hunter, The Women, Trojan Women, and Rain. She received three of the groups Mummy Awards for her performances in supporting roles.

Travel and gardening were two of Peggys chief loves. She visited England and France many times and also enjoyed trips to Japan, China, Germany, and Switzerland. She spoke to local groups about her travels and her life in Japan. Wherever she lived, she created attractive gardens that provided havens for friends and wildlife. She was also active in the Episcopal Church in Roswell, first at St. Andrews and later at St. Thomas Becket. Her arrangements of flowers from her garden often graced the tables at weddings, museum receptions, and the altar at St. Thomas.

Survivors include her daughter Margaret M. Bonnie Detwiler of Santa Fe; niece Faith Morgan Murphy of Yellow Springs, Ohio; nephew John Moore Morgan of Beallsville, Ohio; and nephew Charles Stewart Moore, his wife Pauline, and their daughters Jacqueline Margaret and Sophia Jane, of Palo Alto, California. She was predeceased by her parents, brothers David Lewis Moore and John Stewart Moore, and sister Jane Moore Morgan.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Roswell Museum and Art Center, Vista Care Hospice, or to the charity of your choice.
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Service

Memorial Service

Ballard Funeral Chapel
910 S. Main St.
Roswell, NM  88203
Saturday, May 2, 2009
11:00 a.m.

Memorial Contributions

Roswell Museum and Art Center
400 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
Roswell, NM  88201

Vista Care Hospice
400 N. Penn.
Roswell, NM  88201