Margaret Cole

Margaret Mary Cole, 97, passed away peacefully on December 21, in Houston, TX. She was born April 9, 1920, to John and Mary Kachmarik in Bunola, PA, and was a veteran of World War II, serving as a cook from August 1943 until her honorable discharge as a corporal in September 1944.  She met her future husband, Charles Cole, while serving in the Army in Stuttgart, AR. They wed on June 14, 1944 in the base chapel.  Margaret and Charles moved to Beaumont, TX, where they had six children.

Margaret is survived by five children: daughter Mary Cousins and her husband Kenneth, daughter Carol Maresca and her husband Tony, son Charles Cole and his wife Renee, son Richard Cole and his wife Sheryl, and daughter Deborah Wiggins and her husband Ernie. She is preceded in death by her husband Charles and her eldest daughter, Patricia.  She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Margaret had great love for her family and her Catholic faith. Her happiness was greatest when her family was around.  She told her daughters and sons that they had chosen their spouses very well, and she loved her son and daughter in-laws as if they were her own children. 

As the years and calendar pages elapsed, Margaret found comfort and happiness in her church, St. Jude Thaddeus, and a group of senior parishioners that had an affinity for games, Bingo, Mexican Train, Uno and Skip Bo to name a few. Sundays were her fun day.  No one’s feelings were hurt when she didn’t want to spend time with us on those days, because we knew those were happy times with her friends.

In 2015, Margaret drove her car into (literally) the KFC to get her favorite fried chicken meal. This was not her first confrontation with a stationary object; there had been at least three others, when she paid for the repairs without telling her children.  We realized then that Miss Daisy had to get out from behind the wheel, but how to take away the keys was the dilemma.  Finally, her car stopped running and Charles contrived the white lie to tell Margaret there were no parts for such an old car.  The ruse worked and she finally agreed to sell the idled car.  She had lost her freedom.

Charles and Renee dutifully assumed responsibility for taking of care Mom’s needs, but in June 2017, as her mobility waned and she was aging quickly both physically and mentally, we moved Mom to Houston where two daughters could help care for her in her final days.

When people read an obituary, they frequently are curious about cause of death. In Margaret’s case, she contracted an infection in her legs and it spread quickly.   She passed away calmly in the hospice wing of Memorial Hermann Hospital.  We knew her final life transition would end there, and her next journey would be to God. She was anointed and kissed goodbye. Father Ed told her she was clean and to go to the light when she saw it.  We left her sleeping peacefully without pain.  The next night she left her worldly self and went home to God.  She is happy and now living in the room God has prepared for her.

A gathering of Mrs. Cole’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. with a Christian Vigil beginning at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 26, 2017, at Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 27, 2017, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, 6825 Gladys Avenue, Beaumont, with Reverend Edward Kucera as celebrant. Her interment will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont, with a reception at St. Jude Parish Hall immediately following.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, 6825 Gladys Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77706; or to any organization of one’s choice.