Margaret L Roark

Margaret Louise (Fay) Roark, aged 95, died peacefully on March 26, 2025, in Surprise, Arizona. She had lived at Glencroft Center for Modern Aging in Glendale, Arizona for seven years. While there, Margaret loved to play card games with friends, volunteer at the thrift shop, share meals in the cafeteria, and work on her family trees on Ancestry. Prior to that, Margaret lived in Kamiah, Idaho after her retirement where she helped her daughter, Ruth, at her bed and breakfast inn. During those years, she became known as the Cupcake Lady as she baked cookies and cupcakes for various schools and clubs. She was active with the recycling program and volunteered at the local thrift shop, Loving Hands.

Margaret was born an identical twin on September 19, 1929, in Kansas City, Missouri to Ralph and Mildred Fay. She and Mary (Nelson) were joined by a sister Joyce(Sandahl). All of the family members enjoyed music with piano and voice for the ladies and cello for Ralph who played in various symphonic orchestras. The family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming when the girls were teens to give Margaret relief from severe eczema. There she married Melvin Roark and had four children before the family moved to Maywood, Illinois, a near west suburb of Chicago. Margaret became employed at Bridgeport Brass and later a part-time employee at Penny’s. The second job was taken on to provide for her children’s musical instruments and lessons. Later, another son (Rob)was born. Despite her busy work schedule and large family, Margaret made time to help with Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and became a foster parent.

A move to Ann Arbor Michigan gave Margaret the opportunity to use her administrative skills as she worked for the University of Michigan’s Biological Research Station. Her younger children recall how she encouraged them to help her keep areas of the city free of litter. Both Reggie and Rob credit her with guiding them to become more environmentally aware.

In 1981 Margaret moved to Tucson, Arizona to work at Arizona State University as an administrative assistant then transferred to University of Arizona in Phoenix. While there, she was active with a singles hiking group. She also, traveled extensively. Two notable trips were one to Germany, Austria and (then) Czechoslovakia and one with her daughter Reggie to recreate a trip her parents had taken 50 years earlier north on Highway 70 to Thunder Bay, Ontario. She also took many cross country trip in her small pickup to locate relatives and family gravesites. It could be said of Margaret that she charted her own way in this world.

She is predeceased by both parents and sisters, her son Barry (Jill) Roark, and granddaughter Joy(Holmes). Surviving her are children Ruth (Jim) May, Ron (Jui Ling) Roark, Rogene aka Reggie Holmes, and Rob Roark, seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, one cousin, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life is planned at Glencroft auditorium, Glendale AZ on April 26 at 1 PM to be followed by a trip to a special place for Margaret on Schnebly Hill in Sedona, Arizona to on April 29th.

In Lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Glencroft Center for Modern Aging (https://www.glencroft.com/donate/) and Hospice of The Valley in Surprise AZ (https://www.hov.org/donate/donate-now/)