Margaret’s Obit

Margaret L.MacLaren-Kemp was born on December 18, 1938 to Lawrence and Helen MacLaren in Ithica, Michigan.  She was the 4th of 5 children, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. She transitioned on October 7th, 2024 from Lewy Body Dementia.

She, along with her twin siblings, who were just 10 months older, went to school in the same class in a one room, K-8 school near Ithaca. The three graduated together from Ithaca high school in 1956. Margaret went on to attend Ferris State in Big Rapids, Michigan receiving an AA degree in 1958.

In 1961 she married her high school boyfriend, James Strong. They moved to Eureka, California where she went to work in the City Clerk’s office. In 1966 they moved to Bishop, California where she worked within the Bishop City Clerk’s office. At that time she “adopted” her California parents, Olla and Jim McDonald. In 1976 she gave birth to their son Ryan Strong. After several years as a stay at home mom she went to work for AAA in Bishop and later Cal Trans, retiring in 2008. In 2009 she married Jim Kemp and moved to Big Pine, California.

Margaret was always quick to volunteer to help others. She will be remembered for her many years helping with Bishop Mule Days wherever she was needed. She was voted “Volunteer of the Year” for the annual Mule Day parade and had the “pleasure” of riding her first mule. This was quite an adventure for her as the mule went where it wanted to go, not where she wanted him to go. Although born and raised on a farm she had never ridden a horse or a mule.

In 2011 she was named as Big Pine’s “Volunteer of the Year” for helping out at the local church after the disastrous fire in and around the town. She and Jim were volunteers for the Caltrans’ Clean the Highway Program just south of Big Pine for 11 years. She was always available for family and friends who needed assistance.

Being an avid knitter she made numerous lap blankets for the Bishop Care Center patients. Her favorite knitting projects however were neck scarfs. All her friends and family received at least one or more scarves over the years.

After her retirement, Margaret and Jim enjoyed traveling around the USA. Hawaii, an Alaska cruise along with site seeing visits to New York, Chicago and Washington DC were great memories for her. They also spent summers at their cottage at Crystal Lake in central Michigan. There she enjoyed being around her large family and her many friends from the past. With the cottage being only 30 feet from the lake’s edge, they enjoyed their late afternoons cruising around the lake on their pontoon boat with family and friends and of course with a glass of wine.

Margaret’s 15 minutes of national fame came in Chicago when she visited the Sears Tower just prior to the opening of the all-glass overlook on the 110th floor. Only the TV media folks had been invited to the pre opening event. However they came looking for someone who was reluctant to go up there. We were sight seeing on a lower floor when they found Margaret. After much coaxing she said OK. She was seen on national TV being coaxed out onto the overlook totally frightened and then interviewed. She gave the TV folks exactly what they wanted to hear, with a very shaky voice she said; “It was pretty scary, I’ll never do it again!”.

Margaret was predeceased by her parents Larry and Helen MacLaren, twin siblings Mary Ann and Mack, brother-in-law Donald Barnes and former husbands Jim Strong and Al Norris.

She survived by husband Jim, son Ryan (Kellie) of Navado, grandchildren Ryanna, Isaiah, Allie, step children Sande Kemp, Korina Riggin (Mitch) and Steven Kemp and step grandchildren Tia and Amanda and step great grandchildren Kyson, Kaylee, Colson , Zayne and Achilles. She is also survived by siblings Bonnie Barnes of Ithaca, MI and Brick MacLaren (Jane) of Sebring, Fl. and many nieces, nephews and cousins in and around Michigan.

The family would like to give Yonnie Gruber  a very big Thank You for her over and above care given to Margaret over the past ten months. Also for the assistance given to Margaret by the Hospice group of RN’s Maddy, Laura and  Heather along with the ministry provided from Patrick.

A Celebration of Life will be set for a later date.