Obituary of Marguerite McDonough

Marguerite (Cloke) McDonough of Endwell, New York, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by love on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Whether you knew her as Marguerite or Margie or Maggie, you knew she was a woman of the warmest character and a rare generosity of spirit. For those of us lucky enough to call her Mom, she was a force of nature, whose incredible strength was surpassed only by her kindness and compassion for others. She gave us a home full of love and laughter and we are so incredibly blessed and proud to have called her ours. Born on May 1, 1941 in Elmira, NY, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Christine (Fierro) Cloke. Growing up, 'Margie' was known for her intelligence and sense of humor. Her enthusiasm for helping others started at an early age as a founding volunteer of El-Ne-Ho Camp at the Neighborhood House in Elmira in 1955. From her role as everyone's favourite lifeguard to organizing food drives and directing camp plays, her commitment to her community was evident even then and it ignited a lifelong passion– both personal and professional – for caring for others. She proudly attended Nazareth College on an academic scholarship where she excelled in her study of nursing. She was elected to Kappa Gamma Pi, the national Catholic Honor Society and also discovered a love of teaching. After graduating at the top of her class, she worked as a registered nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital before joining the nursing faculty at Robert Packer Hospital and then Upstate Medical Center, focusing on Pediatrics and Psychology. After receiving her Master of Science in Psychology and English from Elmira College in 1971, she would go on to join the medical and surgical nursing faculty at Broome Community College and later become a nursing supervisor at Twin Tier Home Health. She is remembered by both her students and former nursing colleagues with great affection and admiration. In 1967, Maggie married the love of her life, Kevin, and together they raised six children whom she loved fiercely and supported in every endeavor. Teaching their children the importance of family, education and being 'a decent person,' they instilled in them a love of reading and learning about the world that was a great source of pride for her. She loved writing and traveling and was incredibly talented at home improvement, setting up her own workshop at home. But she loved absolutely nothing more than to be surrounded by her six children and nine grandchildren, who were her greatest joy in life. Through the most heartbreaking illness she still somehow continued to teach us about living in the moment every day and finding every bit of joy you can. Maggie was a dedicated volunteer for Samaritan Counseling Center of the Southern Tier and the Ladies of Charity Nearly New Shop. She also was a long-time volunteer and later president of the Board of Directors for Samaritan House in Binghamton where she loved to help families do a little better every day. She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Kevin, and their beloved children; daughter, Katherine Gilfillan (Curt) and their children, Ryan, Connor and Aiden; son, Martin McDonough (Noel); daughter, Patricia Kennedy and her children, Eamonn and Finn; son Daniel McDonough (Caitlin) and their children, Colin and Neve; her daughter Molly Curtin (John) and their children, Charles and Ellie; and her son, Thomas McDonough (Trish). She is also survived by her sisters, Patty Call (Joe) and Kathy Cloke, and her brother, Joey Cloke (Nancy), as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and godchildren. She is predeceased by her parents, Edward and Christine Cloke; her sister and brother-in-law, Mary Ann and Lee Lepkowski; and her brother and sister-in-law Edward and Sharyn Cloke. The McDonough Family would like to sincerely thank the very special aides – Peaches, Sharima, Bridgette and Tuanita – who provided such wonderful care for Maggie over the past several years, as well as the nurses at Lourdes Hospice. Family and friends are invited to remember Maggie and celebrate her life on Tuesday, September 24 from 4-7 pm at the J.A. McCormack Sons Funeral Home, 141 Main Street, Binghamton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Wednesday, September 25 at 10am at the Church of the Holy Family, 3600 Phyllis Street, Endwell. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations please be made to Notre Dame High School in Elmira or the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.