Margaret E. (Vance) Negley

    Margaret E. Negley, 87, of Newville passed away Tuesday May 22, 2018 in her home.  She was born October 16, 1930 in Wampum, PA the daughter of John Marshall and Ruth Beck Vance.  She had two sisters, Lois and Phyllis, who preceded her in death.  Mrs. Negley was raised on a farm and she found meaning in simple pleasures:  family, church, hard work and the natural world.

    After completing high school, she started nurse’s training at Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.  During her training, she cared for a memorable young man recovering from a car accident.  On November 2nd of 1951, she was married to that man, Finley Brown Negley.  After living in State College, PA, for a brief time while Mr. Negley completed graduate school, they settled near Boiling Springs, PA where they resided for many decades.  They had two children, Beth and Mark, and five grandchildren:  Jody Hankins and Shelley Valle (the children of Beth and Rod Manweiler) and Mark Negley, Sarah Rushing, and Holly Negley (the children of Mark and Christina Negley).  She had a career in nursing, first as a private duty nurse, and later at the Cumberland County nursing home. 

    Mr. and Mrs. Negley frequently enjoyed walking together outdoors, in South Middletown township and surrounding areas. 

    Mrs. Negley was a long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church of Carlisle, and had many close friendships among her church community.  An excellent listener and an introspective person, she would often mention a thought-provoking message discussed the week prior at church.  She had a great appreciation for music and participated in the choir for many years.

    Mrs. Negley’s most enduring hobby was sewing, and she particularly enjoyed quilting as a creative endeavor.  Throughout her lifetime, in addition to nurturing her family, she cared for a collection of indoor and outdoor plants, with African violets and impatiens being some of her favorites.  She will be remembered as a quiet, industrious woman who enjoyed a good sense of humor and took delight in learning about the adventures and misadventures of her loved ones.

    A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 2nd, at 11 am at the First Presbyterian Church of Carlisle.

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