When God called this strong woman home Monday morning she went swiftly into the light toward a glorious rest that is without worry. She was proud to say she was 87, well-loved and cared for by her three children, especially as her health began to falter a decade ago. She was also proud for folks to know she raised sheep on her farm amid creeping suburbia and that she was able to keep her sense of humor until the end when she cracked a joke the hour she left us. She was passionate about her daily crossword, listened to classical radio 24/7, never owned a computer nor a dishwasher but possessed a charm that won friends easily. She was tough when she had to be, quick to speak her mind but she did not pout and did not care for those who do.

Margaret Elizabeth was born in Harnett County on Oct. 25, 1927 to the late William Henning and Gracie Lee Holt Darden. She was the middle child and only girl, growing up in the small Lee County town of Broadway during the Depression. Though financially poor she had a rich life that prepared her for the decades to come. She delivered the Sanford Herald, pedaling her bicycle all over town as the sun was coming up; she de-wormed tobacco for 10- cents an hour and worked hard in school because she wanted to be the first in her family to go to college to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. Growing up, she could wring a chicken's neck, empty the slop jars and find a way to stay warm in a house with little heat. She went to Campbell College in Buies Creek in 1944, and soon was cast in a campus production of Little Women in the role of Meg. The day after the premiere, everyone shouted: "Hey, Meg!" as she walked across campus and that's when Margaret Elizabeth lost her given name to all but those who knew her as a girl. She was a cheerleader and May Queen at Campbell before enrolling in Duke University's RN program, graduating in 1949. She was a loyal and active alumna and served as Class Chair for many years. She loved Duke, its basketball team, its nursing school and the good doctors there who cared for her through the years. It was not under their watch that she died.

After she married in 1949 she worked three years in Sanford as a nurse for Dr. James before starting her family and moving to Charlotte where she became active in various organizations in Coulwood, including the Garden Club, and in Charlotte with the Red Cross where she was a volunteer for 23 years. She spent most of the past 60 summers in Blowing Rock and was the owner of a Mecklenburg County historic property, Edgewood Farm, where her love of gardening is still growing and where her love of history and especially for that house and its grounds will forever be felt.

In addition to her parents, Meg was preceded in death by her two brothers, Billy and Bobby, both of whom died in tragic car accidents a decade apart when they were both 29 years old.

She is survived by her three children, Mary Darden (Mike Dotson), Beth (Jon Kral) and T. ; four grandsons, a granddaughter, three great-grandsons, and nephews Billy and Danny Darden.

A celebration of her life will be led by her children Friday, Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. at the Broadway United Methodist Church with visitation beginning at noon. Burial will follow at the Darden family plot in the Broadway Town Cemetery.

Suggested memorials: Friends of Nursing, Duke University, DUMC 3543, Durham NC 27710; WDAV, Classical Radio 89.9: Davidson College - WDAV, Box 8990, Davidson, NC 28035-8990; or to your favorite charity.

Online condolences can be made at www.smithfuneralhomebroadway.com Arrangements are by the Smith Funeral Home of Broadway.