It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of long-time volunteer and friend of the shelter, Margaret Sutton. Margaret died just prior to her 80th birthday, which she would have celebrated on October 28th.
She was born in a small coastal town in England, very close to the border of Scotland, called Berwick-Upon-Tweed. She left at age 19 to become a nanny in the United States. Margaret became acquainted with Sylvia through Sylvia’s mother, who was needing care at the time. Margaret eventually started volunteering with the shelter in 2009. She was a talented seamstress and sewed bedcovers and hammocks for the cats, and faithfully changed them all out on Fridays, as part of her mission to keep the shelter cats clean and healthy. Margaret volunteered at the shelter 4 days a week for many years, and managed the back half of the building while Sylvia managed the front.
We will always remember Margaret as a connoisseur of Skechers sneakers and turtleneck sweaters, which she wore year round, Her favorite mid-day snack at the shelter consisted of coffee, Boost, and Yoplait yogurt. She was faithfully devoted to her orange cat Lily, who kept her company for many years.
Margaret dealt with many health issues in the last decade of her life that would have sidelined most of us, but she was strong-willed and determined to maintain her independence and her sense of humor. After her husband Rick passed away, Margaret moved to Maple Knoll Village where she quickly became a friend to everyone she met. Although confined to a wheelchair the last few years of her life, she continued to find ways to stay active and involved at Maple Knoll and to get herself out and about to meet new people. She also stayed connected with the shelter, making donations and contributions in any way she could, even taking on hand-sewn projects in lieu of sewing with her machine.
For those of you who had the pleasure of volunteering with both Sylvia and Margaret in the early days of the shelter, you know they worked tirelessly for the welfare of the animals at HEARTT. Their contributions towards the homeless animal population in Hamilton County are profound and lasting and we aim to honor their memory and continue their mission for as long as possible.