Obituary of Margaret Trapp

Margaret MacRae Trapp Passed from this earth to be with Gordon and her eternal friends on February 10, 2014. Margaret was born on July 29, 1914 to William and Annabelle MacRae in Portland Oregon. Margaret was close to her sisters Grace and Ethel as she grew up, attending Laurelhurst Elementary and Grant High schools. As a young girl, Margaret was active in sports, music, and helped her parents with their apartment tenants. Being interested in children and helping others, Margaret chose teaching as a profession and went on to graduate from Monmouth University (now Western Oregon University) with a teaching credential. She taught elementary age students at St. Helens Oregon and later in the Portland area schools. Active in Camp Fire Girls and Sunday School during grammar and high school, teaching children things they didn’t know was always a pleasure of Margaret. She learned Scottish dancing because she had “happy feet” apparently, and then between 1926 thru 1930 she took ballet lessons. As a young lady, Margaret loved the outdoors so she hiked with others and even climbed Mount Hood at the age of 18 with a small group of other climbers! She had a passion for tennis, and even golfed with her father when they had a free afternoon together. Multnomah Athletic Club offered Margaret tennis, swimming, and many opportunities to be with friends. Tennis became the key to Margaret finding her closest friend and lifelong partner, Gordon. On a trip to visit her aunt in the Bay Area, Margaret ventured over to Berkley California, and what started as a pick-up game of tennis, eventually turned into 67 years of lasting love for Margaret and Gordon. When Gordon graduated from the University of California with degrees in architecture and engineering, he turned his attention to Margaret and their affection for one another grew stronger. In spite of the wartime tension, Margaret and Gordon were married on Margaret’s birthday (1942) at the “Wee Kirk of the Heather” located in Glendale California. Gordon enlisted in the US Army Air Corp because he was a licensed pilot, and took further training to become a meteorologist. Margaret and Gordon moved to Florida, South Carolina, and other locations before Gordon was deployed in the Western Pacific theater. Gordon Alan, Margaret’s first son was born in 1945 while they lived in South Carolina. With Gordon off to war, Margaret moved back to Portland to live with her mother and care for her young child. When the war concluded, Gordon was discharged and he moved to be with his family in Portland. Margaret and Gordon took their small savings and purchased land in Southwest Portland in 1946 with the dream of building a house and adding to their family. Margaret quickly became a carpenter apprentice as Gordon tackled house construction on their single income. In 1947, Margaret and Gordon had a three room house they could occupy and settled into their new life together. This small starter house would later become one of the most attractive houses in all of Portland as Margaret and Gordon added rooms and style over the next twenty years. In 1948, Margaret and Gordon had an additional son (Peter), followed by a daughter (Nancy) in 1950, and their last son (Clyde) in 1954. As the children grew, Margaret and Gordon incorporated teaching into a major house expansion that involved everyone. Margaret balanced her family with an occasional teaching assignment, tennis with her friends, and leading a 4-H knitting group of youngsters. Margaret was active at the Women’s Architectural League, the Mariner’s at Valley Community Church, the Parent Teacher Association, and other groups when her children volunteered her service. After Margaret’s children grew older, Margaret played tennis more frequently and traveled with Gordon. They found comfort in monthly rentals at Palm Springs during several winter seasons, and the Oregon beach remained one of their favorite retreats during their 67 years of marriage. Margaret seemed to enjoy college football, and she was excited to tell you about attending the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl no matter the teams or final score. Margaret’s biggest trip was probably when she went to Scotland and England in 1989. Margaret visited her parent’s home towns, some of her distant relatives, and got to experience her family’s roots first-hand. Being 100% Scottish meant very much to Margaret, as she was very proud of her immigrant parents and their accomplishments. There is a little bit of Margaret in Scotland even to this day! Margaret’s life lost much of its excitement and mobility after Gordon’s death in 2009, but she settled into her home at Willamette View and knit for comfort and sanity. Margaret was blessed with six grandchildren, Patti, Benjamin, David, Katie, Christopher, and Emily that visited her when they were nearby. During the past four years, Margaret was also blessed with six great-grandchildren, and she was always excited to see the little ones when they visited, too. Margaret’s final passion was knitting scarves for everyone, and we are pleased to report she reached her goal. Services will be private at River View Cemetery. Please leave a condolence for the family. Service Information