Margaret Powers

August 25, 1933 - June 8, 2022

Margaret was born on August 25, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York, to Ernest and Lucy Kragh. She grew up with two sisters, Marion and Rosemary, and two brothers, George and John. She loved and adored her family of seven, and talked about them often throughout her life. She was extremely proud of her father’s Danish heritage, and always told her children that they were all part Viking and to never forget how strong they are. Margaret went to Catholic School for her entire education, and had many stories of the nuns. She even thought about becoming a nun, but her dad would not allow it. Right after graduation, Margaret married her high school sweetheart and had two sons, Joe and John Ortega. She would always smile and tell her friends and family how beautiful and special her Joey and John are. “She owned a Deli in Brooklyn and would make the best rice pudding. I was the official taste tester,” says son John Ortega. Another one of John’s favorite memories was when Margaret and him went to Mexico by train in the late 1960s. “We had a great vacation including seeing all the states to/from New York,” says John. Things didn’t end up working out for Margaret and her first husband, and the marriage ended in divorce. A couple years later, in the late 1960s, Margaret met the love of her life: Daniel Joseph Powers. They met when Margaret worked as a bookkeeper at the A&P grocery store close to where she lived. Daniel was one of the managers, and Maragaret recalled him to be the ultimate gentleman who spoke very respectfully to her. Their first date was a timeless classic tale: Daniel took her for coffee and a chat. They quickly started dating after that. Some of Margaret and Daniel’s favorite activities were ice skating at Central Park, and visiting the beach at Coney Island. Within a year, the perfectly paired duo married and were ready to start a new life together. They made the big move with John to Miami, Florida and had a son and daughter – Steve and Lisa Powers – together. “She was an extremely devoted mother. When we all came home, there was always a delicious home-cooked dinner,” says daughter Lisa Powers. “One of her signature dishes was her baked ziti, which was loved by all!” “One of my favorite memories of mom was when she bought me a blow up raft using S&H Green Stamps from Publix,” says son Steve Powers. Margaret would watch shows like Heart To Heart, M.A.S.H., and Magnum PI with Steve and Lisa. She always wanted to give her kids the best; she made sure John continued in Catholic school and played baseball, Lisa took dance and violin lessons, and Steve played baritone in the school band and played baseball. To create everlasting memories, she and Daniel had a pool built in their backyard so the family could truly soak up the sun and enjoy the Florida weather. Because of that pool, Steve and Lisa had some awesome birthday parties! She was thrilled to get visits from family up north, including her son Joe, her sisters Rosemary and Marion, her mother Lucy, and her brothers John and George (and so many more!), who came to visit Margaret often. She had great memories with them. During this time in Miami, Margaret worked as a teachers assistant at Greenglade Elementary, where Steve and Lisa attended. She loved working with students and helping with their assessment in all subjects. She went on to work at Kendale Lakes Elementary, where the principal asked her to learn a new software program to test the students through computer access. This was a huge task given and Margaret was up for the challenge. She was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and valuable to the school system, and eventually ended up retiring. Then Margaret earned a new title (which might have been her favorite): Grandma — though she was commonly known as ‘Nanny’ by her nine grandchildren: James, Julie, Ryan, Tara, John, Ryan, Michael, Daniel, Kelli, Izabella and DJ. She would always proudly display photos of all her grandchildren on the walls of her home. She made sure she made each grandchild feel loved. “She was my best friend,” says granddaughter Kelli Carmack. “She and I always knew we shared a special connection. We were like kindred spirits. I’m going to take everything she taught me with me in life. I’m going to continue her legacy of living life to the fullest, and make her proud.” Ryan Powers, one of Margaret’s grandsons, remembers how much Magaret loved Hallmark (fun fact: Margaret even worked for Hallmark for a small time after retiring from the school system!). “As a boy, she would bring me to work with her a lot, and help organize the Hallmark cards at Publix,” says Ryan. One of her other grandsons, Michael Carral, fondly remembers how much Margaret loved the holidays. “Nanny’s decorations for Halloween were absolutely fabulous. I remember she had this fat-looking, singing vampire decoration with wings that was a staple for her house. I also remember how she would go all out for Christmas. She loved Christmas lights,” says Michael. Later on in life, Margaret eventually became a great-grandma to Logan, Ryley, Finn, Cameron, Brady, Christopher, Victoria, McKenzie and Madison. Besides being a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Margaret had many hobbies. She was extremely creative — she would often paint, color, crochet, garden, do home renovations, and build dollhouses. She loved the warm weather and would soak up the sun by constantly visiting the beach, going on cruises or just something as simple as laying out in her backyard. She also enjoyed fun activities like gambling and going to live performance theaters. One of her favorite musical artists was Neil Diamond (who she saw in concert with her daughter-in-law Teresa). Margaret also knew the importance of giving back to others. When her husband Daniel passed away from cancer in 2003, he was on hospice, and Maragret was blown away by the exceptional care he received. This is why she decided to become a volunteer for Gulfside Hospice’s thrift store for many years. Her granddaughter, Kelli, would often go with her to volunteer when Kelli was in high school. Her daughter, Lisa, is a school teacher and Maragret would often volunteer in Lisa’s classroom. She would help the students make crafts, and when it was Christmastime, Margaret had an annual tradition of making hand-painted toy soldiers for each kid. “I will treasure this memory of my mom bringing so much joy to the children’s faces, and will continue the annual tradition with my future students,” says Lisa. Maragret was very patriotic and was a proud American. She had such a strong admiration for service men and women, particularly because her husband served in World War II in the Navy, and her son, John, served in the Navy in the Gulf Wars. She always made sure there was a flag in the front of her home; she even had a mini-flag on the side of her Jeep Cherokee in the late 2000s/early 2010s. She always reminded her children and grandchildren to wear red, white and blue on special patriotic holidays and to never forget to honor those who served our country. After a long illness with dementia, Margaret passed away peacefully at her Zephyrhills home on June 8, 2022, with her son John by her side. Margaret was an incredible woman who lived an incredible life, full of adventure, love and zest. She loved to reminisce on the good times, and was proud of the full life she lived. The family is at peace knowing she is no longer suffering, and she’s with her family in Heaven. One thing Margaret made sure all her family knew is that she loved them… more. Whenever they would tell Margaret “I love you,” she would always respond with “I love you more,” and take their hand and kiss it. Margaret, we love you and we wish we could kiss your hand and tell you “We love you more,” one last time. Love, Your Loving Family Who Misses You Dearly