MARGARET LOIS CORTES
September 15, 2011
Margaret Cortes, 93, died in a wonderful care home in Wahiawa, Oahu. Margaret was born in Salem, Oregon. She lived in California most of her life, graduating from University of California, Berkeley in 1939 & subsequently attended San Francisco State University for her teaching credentials. She married Eduardo Cortes. During World War II she was a welder in the Richmond shipyards, working on Liberty Ships. After the war she taught nursery school, was a home-maker, and an elementary school teacher until middle age. She then returned to UC Berkeley and earned a Masters of Library Science. Margaret worked for Contra Costa County in various libraries as a reference librarian for the rest of her career. She also enjoyed writing poetry & ran poetry workshops in the libraries where she worked. Her particular passion and joy in her later years was translating the poetry of Homer, from ancient Greek to English, which necessitated several trips to Greece & Turkey for research. Margaret was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 1996 & thereafter enjoyed the assistance of her children, which allowed her to live in Hawaii, Guam, California & Colorado. Margaret is survived by her children Michael, Antonio, & Susan Cortes and by six grandchildren.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
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