Margaret Pendleton (Chapin) Frueh

LAKEVILLE — Margaret Pendleton (Chapin) Frueh, 90, died peacefully July 20, 2011, at Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Canaan. “Maggie” was born Oct. 10, 1921, in Middletown, Conn. She was raised in Lakeville at the home of Mary and Margaret Kane and in Hartford at the home of her parents Henry and Viola Chapin. She graduated from Hartford Public High School and received her R.N. degree at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown. In January of 1945 she enlisted in the United States Army as a second lieutenant. She served as a psychiatric nurse at military hospitals in Massachusetts. She was proud to have her name listed in the Women in Military Service to America Memorial in Washington, D.C.From 1945 to 1970 she was married to Robert Frueh and lived at Misty Meadows Farm in Falls Village. He predeceased her in 1997. Her greatest joy in life came from raising her five children. In 1972, after moving to Glastonbury, she worked for Center City Churches in Hartford and later returned to nursing at the state of Connecticut’s Blue Hills Drug and Alcohol Hospital. After retiring she gave a year of service at a retirement home in Newbury, Vt. When she returned to Glastonbury she was active in many civic groups, including a writing club where she cultivated her passion for the written word. She was a volunteer with the Hartford area crisis intervention center. Maggie enjoyed laughter and remained young at heart her entire life, engaging in classes and interest groups at every opportunity. A compassionate and caring listener, she was known for her sense of humor, creativity, gift of giving and adventurous spirit. Her children remember accompanying her on visits to the elderly and homebound, a practice she continued into late life. All who knew her were touched by her kind and gentle ways. She leaves behind five children who will forever hold their mother’s unconditional love and support, Mary-Margaret Cortesi and her husband, Paul, of Torrington, Lauri-ann Cardinali and her husband, Hank, of Ballston Lake, N.Y., Henry Frueh and his wife, Janice, of Queensbury, N.Y., Ellen Frueh of Schenectady, N.Y., Elizabeth Sundet and her husband, John, of Bolton, Conn.; 12 grandchildren; five great- grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association and all the staff at Geer Nursing for the kindness and gentle care given to their dear mother. A memorial service will be held at The Canaan Methodist Church in North Canaan on Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m. followed by a reception in the fellowship hall for family and friends. Graveside services will be private.The Kenny Funeral Home in Norfolk is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Salisbury VNA, 30A Salmon Kill Road, Salisbury, CT06068 or The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change at www.thekingcenter.org.