Margaret Lees Longmire, ("Maggie" to family and friends) of Edmond, Oklahoma, passed away on June 26, 2012. She died peacefully at OU Medical Center of Edmond after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Margaret was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Margaret Reid-Shaw and Charles Barclay Lees, both now deceased. She was preceded in death by her older sisters Mary "May" Garner and Agnes "June" Madison.
Margaret worked for the State of Oklahoma House of Representatives from the mid-1990s until her retirement in 2007. There she had made many friends and was known as a very charitable woman, open and sincere. She is survived by husband John, brothers John and Charles Lees, both of Northern California, daughters Anne Malone and Julie Brady, of Edmond and Norman, respectively, grandchildren Brandon Malone, Hannah, Margaret, and Jackson Cherry, plus many nieces and nephews from the states of Virginia to California. She will be missed by all.
Margaret emigrated from Scotland to Quincy, Illinois in November, 1949 accompanied by her mother and brother Charles. Her father and sisters were already residing in Quincy. She attended school there through her junior year when her family moved to Southern California, where she graduated from high school. They returned to Quincy a year later, and she and future husband John began dating. They were married in 1963 and moved to Southern California where they lived for the next 12 years. Margaret worked in the claims departments of several insurance companies, and John eventually graduated from California State University at Los Angeles, with much help and support from Margaret. They had two children, both born in Monterey Park, California.
In 1973 they moved and lived for a short time near Chicago, Illinois; and, in early 1974 moved to Edmond, where she became an avid tennis player and fan of professional tennis. Margaret's playing career ended with a damaged knee, but until her death, she enjoyed watching the big matches on television.
Services are to be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 2, 2012. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
May God take her in His arms and make her well.