Person:Margaret Scheerer (1)

Former Richmond resident Margaret Lois Scheerer Poston, 78, passed into the hands of the Lord on Saturday, June 15, 2002, at the Lutheran Care Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The oldest daughter of Julius C. Scheerer and Edna Hipskind, Margaret was born in Marion, Ind., on June 7, 1924. She graduated from Marion High School in June 1942 and the Indiana University School of Education in 1946. Margaret began teaching kindergarten at the Joseph Moore Elementary School in Richmond, Ind., in September 1946. While living in Richmond, she was active with the Richmond Civic Theatre, starring in a 1947 production of The Magnificent Yankee. She also met her future husband, Gerald E. Poston, who was a reporter for the Palladium-Item. They were married in Marion at the home of her father and stepmother on June 13, 1947.

Soon after the birth of her second son at age 30, Margaret had the misfortune to be stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. After a courageous five-year attempt to mother her two sons from a wheelchair, she was finally admitted to the Montgomery County Nursing Home in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 35. Later she moved to the Stillwater Health Center, also in Dayton, where she served as president of the Resident's Council for several years. When Stillwater closed in 1987, she moved to Bethany Lutheran Village in Centerville, Ohio, where she was again active on the Resident's Council for many years.

In spite of her disability, Margaret lived a life full of purpose, always working to improve the quality of life for residents of the nursing homes where she stayed. Her many friends will attest to her courage and determination to make the limited world she was confined to a better place. She was also known to always remember the birthdays of her family and many friends with an appropriate card from her vast collection of cards from the Disabled Veterans of America. Being disabled herself, Margaret was a staunch supporter of those hampered by disabilities. Her pastor at the College Hill says that her friends at church miss receiving her cards already. In addition to her activities at the nursing home, Margaret was a supportive member of the College Hill Community Church in Dayton and had many friends among the congregation.

After being diagnosed with a terminal illness in March 2002, Margaret made her final move to the Lutheran Care Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in order to spend her final days closer to her sister and two sons.

Survivors include sons, Jeffrey K. Poston of Silver Spring, Md., and Bradley J. Poston of Laurel, Md.; two daughters-in-law, Susan and Theresa Poston; four granddaughters, Jennifer, Jessica, Jackie and Julie Poston of Laurel. Other survivors include her sister, Gretchen Scheerer Gould of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; two brothers-in-law, Neil Gould and Donald Poston; four nephews, Sam Poston, Carl E. Day, Noel Gould and Nicholas Gould; and two nieces, Giulietta Gould and Theresa Day Crandall. Her extended family includes a multitude of cousins from the Scheerer and Hipskind families.

She was predeceased by her parents; her stepmother, Billie Davis Scheerer; and a sister, Ruth Scheerer Day. Cremation is being arranged by the William G. Miller Funeral Home in Poughkeepsie. There will be no calling hours. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family. Donations in Margaret's name may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Cancer Society or the College Hill Community Church, 1547 Philadelphia Drive, Dayton, OH 45406.