Margaret Worthington Waters Moore, 81, of Blacksburg, died Wednesday, Nov. 15, at her home. She was a member of The Presbyterian Church of Radford, Virginia.
Born on May 20, 1936, as the youngest child of a Methodist minister, Margaret attended several public schools in Virginia, graduating from Altavista High School. After receiving a B.A. degree from Westminster Choir College, marriage, and further graduate work, she taught third grades in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for several years before moving to Nashville with her husband and daughter. There, she obtained a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and served the last 25 years of her professional life as Special Assistant to the Dean of Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.
From the time she could talk, throughout her life, she continued to sing – with church choirs, with community choruses, with professional groups – because she loved to sing, because she believed it was one of God’s greatest gifts, and because she wanted to give back to God. Her greatest regret, during her year-long struggle with ALS, was less about loss of mobility and speech than the loss of song.
Margaret was competent and responsible. In her own words, “as wife and Mother, she was not always successful, but she was loving and supportive. She loved learning and communicated that to her family, friends, students and colleagues. She tried always to see the larger picture and avoid superficiality. God is beyond our comprehension, she believed, but windows can be opened through nature, through ideas, through productive relationships, through meaningful experiences. And life is a journey of peeling back the curtains – sometimes joyful, sometimes painful, but ultimately rewarding.”
She was preceded in death by her parents, the Rev. George Lipscomb Waters and Octavia Clegg Waters, and by her brother, Dr. James Lipscomb Waters.
She is survived by her sister, Dr. Marie Louise Waters of Blacksburg and by her daughter, Margaret Rebecca Moore of Nashville, TN, as well as nephews Robert L. Waters of Chicago, IL, Dr. George A. Waters of Brookfield, IL, and niece Helen M. Waters of Newton, MA.
A memorial service will be held Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. at The Presbyterian Church of Radford. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider contributions to The Next Door, 402 22nd Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203 or to your favorite charity. Arrangements by Mullins Funeral Home & Crematory in Radford.
