Margaret Abbott
Margaret Abbott, 80, of Poplar died Nov. 14, 2023.
She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 4, 1943, to Clarence Joseph Schneider and Concetta Alba Bellantoni. Her early childhood was spent in a loving home with Grandmother Rose while her father served in the United States Navy and her mother worked.
After World War II, the family moved to Riverton, Wyo., where her younger sister, Diane, was born. The family grew with brothers Richard and Hudson and sisters Marilyn, Peggy and Valarie. The family later moved to Billings, where she spent her educational years. She graduated from Billings Central High School in 1961.
Shortly after her graduation, she met and married Joe Abbott and they settled in Poplar. They raised three children: Larry, Rose and Bonnie. She went back tot school, attending Eastern Montana College in Billings where she received her teaching degree (bachelor of science in English and history) in 1973.
She began teaching at the Poplar Schools in 1973 and taught there for 30 years. In 1995, she took a sabbatical and went back to school at the University of Montana in Missoula where she earned her masters degree in English education. After Joe’s death in 2005, she started a new teaching career in the English Department at Fort Peck Community College where she continued to teach until May 2023. She was greatly liked and respected by faculty, administration and, most importantly, her students. She was a generous instructor who developed great relationships with everyone. She was elected Faculty Senate secretary/ treasurer and was awarded Faculty of the Year status.
She loved teaching, gardening, books and crossword puzzles, rock concerts (Rolling Stones), helping others with her community services and volunteering when someone or some group needed an extra hand. She was also a religious woman who attended church regularly and participated in services. She also loved to cook and bake, providing “goodies” whenever the opportunity arose.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe; and her daughter, Rose.
She is survived by her son, Larry; daughter, Bonnie; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Her funeral mass was held Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Poplar. Cremation will follow. Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with the arrangements.
