Margaret (Peggy) Catherine Fleming (née Henry) was born Wednesday, March 10, 1920 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin .
she died Wednesday, January 31, 2007. her recorded age was 86.
Margaret C. "Peggy" Fleming age 86, passed away Wednesday, January 31, 2007. She was born in Milwaukee, WI, on March 10, 1920, the daughter of Harold Augustus Henry and Arline Calista Hatch Henry. Five months later, the family took a 40-day ocean voyage to South Africa; where her father had a job as an engineer in the cement industry. While in South Africa her first brother, Andy, was born. The family returned to Zanesville, Ohio where her other brothers, Charles, was born. In 1925 the family moved to San Andreas, CA where Margaret started to school. There were 2 grades in a room and she combined the third an fourth grades in one year. Her father retired in 1929 and bought a farm on Rt. 161 near Granville. However, he promptly un-retired due to the stock market crash in 1929. He immediately accepted a top-level cement industry job in San Paulo, Brazil. Part of Margaret's schooling was in an American school but when she reached the ninth grade there was a law that all students had to be taught in Portuguese at that level. Harold retired again 1933. The family returned to the farm on Rt. 161 and Margaret returned to school in Alexandria and at age 13 was declared a junior in high school. She graduated in 1935 at age 15 and attended the Ohio State University, graduating the youngest in her class and also completing a Masters Degree in English, which she then taught for 4 years. With the start of WWII, both Andy and Charles were in the infantry. Margaret became interested in the clubs for soldiers run by the Red Cross. She applied for this branch of the service but was turned drown 3 times apparently because of her age. She finally took the train to Washington, DC and the Red Cross National Headquarters where she was immediately hired and started the Red Cross training She was first stationed in England where she learned that a high-school classmate, Fred Fleming, was stationed nearby. She called him up, and he had to explain that she was not an English girl. He was ordered by his commanding officer to "take a pass this weekend and go see that woman." This was their first date. Two years later when they both got home they dated for a year and were married for 59 years. The Red Cross Club Activity took Margaret to various areas of Europe including Luxembourg where her club was captured the first night of the Battle of the Bulge. She was able to escape, taking the 2 local girls working in her club and received a Bronze Star singed by President Harry Truman. When she and Fred both got home, they dated for a year and were married on September 28, 1946. They had one daughter, Patricia Orr, who along with many nieces and nephews, survived her. They opened Flemings' Bookstore in downtown Columbus, then Graceland and Northland. After 25 years, they retired and traveled to 88 countries. Margaret served on the Red Cross Board in Columbus for 20 years. Fred was an 8-gallon blood donor and Margaret was instrumental in organizing the Memorial Society Movement (now Funeral Consumers Alliance) and served one year as National President. Since Fred's death in October, 2004 Margaret has resided in Friendship Village of Columbus where her memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, February 10, 5800 Forest Hills Blvd., Columbus, Ohio 43231. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the Red Cross and the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Central Ohio, P.O. Box 14335, Columbus, Ohio 43214.