Margaret Robertson James Sayre passed away peacefully the morning of December 7, 2021 in Lexington, Virginia.
She joined Robert Brown Sayre, her husband of 58 years, who preceded her in death on April 7, 2021.
Margaret was born June 30, 1933 in Beckley, W.Va. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School as salutatorian of the class of 1951. She met and married Robert, who was also from Beckley, in 1962. They had three children: Robert Brown Sayre Jr. who died as an infant, Frances Sayre whom they adopted as an infant, and William James Sayre. They lived in Beckley until 2015 when they moved to Kendal Retirement Community in Lexington to be near their son, Dr. William Sayre.
Margaret was an active member and contributor to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and of so many organizations in Beckley: The Beckley Woman's Club, The Community Concert Association, The Briarcliff Garden Club, The Raleigh County Library Board, and Concord University, where she received her degree in 1984.
Margaret loved music, books, and gardening. She created and headed up the Beckley Beautification Committee and transformed the public spaces into lovely landscaped areas. She received the Spirit of Beckley Award for this work and a marker in WordPark in downtown Beckley which reads:
Margaret Sayre
For the growing blossoming beauties of nature she placed along our pathway – For all the hard edges of our lives which she smoothed and softened – we are forever in her debt.
Grateful remembrance for a life lived in unselfish service to family, community, and country is immortality indeed.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Lillian Earwood James and William Abraham James Jr.; her husband, Robert Sayre; her son, Robert Sayre Jr.; and her brother, William Abraham James III.
She is survived by her brother, John James; her daughter, Frances Sayre (Marc Beyer); and her son, Dr. William Sayre (Melissa Gladwell-Sayre). She is also survived by grandsons, William McLean, Matthew DeWitt and William Sayre Jr.; granddaughters, Isabella Sayre and Lillian Sayre, step-granddaughters, Ava Crocker and Estella Crocker, as well as nephews, nieces and their children.
Services will be held at Grace Episcopal Church on January 8 at 1 p.m. with a reception to follow.
Arrangements are by Harrison Funeral Home and Crematory.
