Aunt Margie: Marjorie Hostetter McCormack Krueger – Family Historian & Keeper of Secrets
Marjorie Emma Virginia Hostetter
(McCormack Krueger)
(1923-2007)
Vital Statistics and Family Connections
Marjorie Emma Virginia McCormack Krueger (née Hostetter)
Born September 12, 1923 in Jersey City, New Jersey
Died September 11, 2007 Hackensack, New Jersey
Parents: Charlotte Ross Golden and Fred Hostetter, Jr.
Spouses
First - Edward Francis McCormack (and together they had a daughter.)
Second - Arthur Joseph Krueger on December 30, 1961, in Jersey City, New Jersey,
Siblings:
Anna Eva Hostetter 1909–1984
Charlotte Elizabeth Hostetter 1912–2005
Mildred Gladys Hostette 1915–1977
Gertrude Helen Hostetter 1917–1987
Myrtle Barbara Hostetter 1919–1992
Baby Boy Hostetter 1921–1921
And a tribute from Kerri:
Margie was born on September 12, 1923 in Jersey City. She was the youngest of Fred and Charlotte Hostetter's children. She was 7 years old when the 1930 census was taken, living with her family at 103 Ocean Avenue in Jersey City. Ten years later, Margie was 16 and a high school student living at 434 Pacific Avenue.
During the next ten years, Margie would say goodbye to her father Fred who died in 1943 and then say hello to Edward Francis McCormack, who would become her first husband on June 23, 1946. She was just 22 and he was 30 when they married in Hoboken, NJ. It must have been a rocky marriage as by the time the 1950 census was taken, Margie was living with her mother Charlotte and Charlotte's new husband of less than one year, George Conklin. They were living at 253 Bartholdi Avenue along with cousin Lorraine Golden and two of George's relatives. Margie was a packer for a dairy product manufacturer, the same company where George worked as a foreman.
Arguably, the best day of Margie's life occurred on June 13, 1952 when she became a mother with the birth of her daughter, Charlotte Ann Margaret McCormack. She had a tremendous amount of love for Charlotte and Charlotte returned the love and devotion to her mother as well. By the end of 1961, Margie got married for the second time, on December 30th in Jersey City. Her new husband was Arthur Joseph Krueger. Artie was 53 and Margie was 38. They moved to Old Bridge, NJ where Margie would change the life of her namesake, her niece Marjorie Macchia.
It was in a bar in Old Bridge where Margie Krueger would meet a young man from Pennsylvania who was visiting his sister and brother-in-law. She struck up a conversation and was so impressed by him she said "Have I got a niece for you!" and she gave him the phone number of her niece, Marjorie Macchia. He called her and they arranged a date and three years later in 1964, Marjorie married the man from Pennsylvania, Carl Herbert Corby. And it is a good thing they did get together otherwise my brother Keith and I would not be here!
In 1965, Margie was devastated with the death of her mother Charlotte (Gram). They shared a house in Old Bridge and Margie would carry the loss with her for the rest of her life. In 1978, part of heart was healed when her granddaughter Megan Elizabeth Vroom entered the world on June 6th. Aunt Margie was now a devoted and caring grandmother. She and Artie separated and he passed away in 1990. For the rest of Margie's life, she would live with Charlotte and Megan mainly at her house in Jersey City or sometimes at Charlotte's second home in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. The trio were very close to each other.
In July of 2007, Aunt Margie collapsed at home and she would spend most of the next two months in and out of Hackensack Hospital where she sadly passed away on September 11th, the day before what would have been her 84th birthday. Her cause of death was pneumonia. She was interred in a mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ. For a long time, Charlotte would visit her mother just about every day after she finished teaching school in Jersey City.
Margie talked about her mother and other relatives quite often. I grew up hearing stories and I wish I would have written all of them down at the time. She loved to talk and communicate with everyone. She wrote lots and lots of letters and sent countless cards for every occasion. I do not think she ever missed anyone's birthday. When she called on the phone, you had to make yourself as comfortable as possible as you knew you would be there for a long time listening to the latest news from other branches of the family before she heard your news so she could pass it on. She kept all of us close by keeping in touch with everyone, going to so many weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, etc. She had an undeniable love for her family and her family tree. I am so grateful that she passed that love on to me and I cannot thank her enough for that.
And I have just one more thing to thank Aunt Margie for. Most of you already know the story but back in September of 1991 she called me late one evening and asked if I wanted to join a pen pal service. "No", I said. She said, "What country should I put you down for?" She would not take NO for an answer and, really long story short, she signed me up for a pen pal and just before Christmas I received a name and address in the mail of my new friend. I wrote a letter and he wrote back. Seven years later I married him, Colin Fawcett. She not only matched up my parents, she unintentionally found my husband too!
Thank you Aunt Margie, for everything. Remembering you today and always with love. Happy Birthday to you!
A tribute from Christina ...
Aunt Margie, aka Marjorie Emma Virginia Hostetter McCormack Krueger, the Hostetter family historian of the 1900s, was the guardian of our family's past, wielding nothing more than a fountain pen and postage stamps. Her letters tediously handwritten (and hand-copied!) were our family newsletter, chronicling the comings and goings of our ancestors long before computers simplified genealogy.
Margie's letters were more than updates-they were family lore, with a dash of 'alternative facts' to protect reputations. Whether they were genuine errors or creative embellishments, we may never know. What's clear is that her version of history, while not always precise, kept our family story alive and, perhaps, a bit more respectable.
As we now sift through digitized records and modern tools, let's appreciate the challenges Margie faced. Her efforts were a labor of love. So, let's remember Aunt Margie as a devoted family historian and keeper of secrets, whose creative touch added a unique thread to our family's tapestry.
Cheers to Aunt Margie. Where would we be without you?
