Margaret Lois Church

Margaret Lois Church, know as Maggie to her family and friends, was born in Brookline, MA on June 29, 1932, and left us at 4:53 AM on August 25, 2007 after a valiant 8-year battle with cancer. Maggie grew up on a farm in Ithaca, NY as the adopted daughter of Edith Church. Maggie’s life was one in which definitions of family were transcended by acts of kindness, nurturing, and love. Maggie graduated from Ithaca High School and went on to work her way through Delhi College. She graduated with an Associates Degree in Food Service Administration and came to the Hudson Valley in 1955. Maggie met the challenges of adult life as she did everything; head on with hard work, no complaints, and a mischievous sense of humor. She held positions in Food Service at SUNY New Paltz (from 1955 to 1969) and was the Assistant Director of Food Services at Dutchess Community College until 1987 when she and her life partner Sheila Baker became co-owners of the Country Deli in Kripplebush, NY. Their home was also opened to women travelers as Churchill Farms B&B on Canaan Rd. in New Paltz until 1996. Maggie is survived by her beloved life partner, Sheila Baker of New Paltz, her caring family: including Frances (Dim) Hazell Prochazka of Owings Mills, MD; Anne Einhorn of Hanover, PA; Goddaughter Dr. Kathryn Alexander of Annapolis, MD; Carol Battye of Wye Mills, MD; Maura Godinez of Los Angeles, CA; and a sister Carolyn Putenney of Las Vegas, NV; and many dear and loving friends. Her touch will be missed by us all, including her beloved cats Sadie and Barney. A celebration of Maggie’s life will be held at 2:00 PM Sunday Sept 16 at the Educational Building of the Dutch Reform Church of New Paltz, 92 Huguenot St. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the following organizations that support several of Maggie’s interests: Animal Welfare Adoption Network, PO Box 53, West Hurley, NY 12491, (845) 679-0227; Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center, PO Box 3994, Kingston, NY 12401, (845) 331-5300; or Hospice of Ulster County, 34 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401, (845) 338-2272.