Obituary of Margaret Stadler

Margaret Stadler Beloved wife of the late Ernest F. Stadler .Loving mother of Elaine (Gerard Sr.) Reidy and

Ernest Stadler Jr.  Cherished Grandmother of Gerard Reidy Jr. (Laura) , and Maureen Reidy and her companion Mike.  Loving great grandmother of Declan Reidy

 It is hard to define Margaret Reddington Stadler in one word or one single stroke of the brush. It is difficult to determine what, if any, was her first love, but early on she acted and sang and danced in high school productions while attending Mary Louis Academy High School in Jamaica Estates and St.Joseph's College in Brooklyn where she graduated in 1946. She often took on men's roles in productions, not only because there were no men at the then all girls college, but because those characters were more significant, and she was of the belief that women should have the same rights and opportunity to shine as men....a belief that she would take with her throughout her life.  

But WWII and it's results got in the way of many plans and dreams, and she fell in love with a returning Marine, First Lieutenant Ernest F. Stadler, and embarked on a career of wife and mother.

But this demanding career wasn't enough to satisfy her abundant energy, keen intellect, and desire to experience and contribute more.

Partly due to economics, and partly due to love of life and all it could bring, she accepted a job as an English instructor at St. Vincent's Ferrer High School in NYC, after the principal was impressed with the work she was doing at the local PTA.

She was soon bitten by the teaching bug, and to bolster her career, returned to college and earned a Master of Arts degree from Hunter College of the City of New York in 1964, all the while teaching full time and raising two children, Elaine and Ernie Jr.

At St. Vincent's, she also became the director of the Forensics/Debate/Public Speaking society, perhaps to scratch that theatrical itch first experienced in high school. Her debate teams became highly successful and she was influential in bolstering and promoting the newly formed Catholic High School Forensics League.

By the time the family relocated from the upper East Side of NYC to Jamaica Estates in Queens, her career had become focused on teaching High School senior English (with that grade's focus on studying writer's and plays), and her continued participation in Forensics and public debate.

She soon became director of the Uniondale Forensics team, winning numerous local and regional titles, and traveling the United States, from Miami to Detroit to Seattle, for national tournaments, winning her fair share of National Championships...….the best in the Country.

Her illustrious teaching and coaching career ended with her retirement in 1982, and subsequent move back to her roots in NYC. She is a member of the Uniondale Teacher's Association and The New York State Retired Teacher's Association.

For Margaret Stadler however, this was not the end of public life, but only the beginning. She soon auditioned for and became a member of her famed parish choir,St. Vincent Ferrer. This became a love and a passion, which she continued to do until the age of 92, perhaps fulfilling her love of singing and performing. She loved her Church, and performing concerts in it's name, and thought it an honor and humbling to sing in the presence of God every Sunday.

Her participation in parish activities and interaction with other women of the parish, led her to what would become a new passion...the advocacy of women's rights throughout the world.

She joined Altrusa International, a non profit organization, focusing on the global economic and social concerns affecting women of the world. She became the head of Altrusa's New York chapter, and since Altrusa was admitted at the United Nations as a Non Government Organization (NGO), much of her time was spent there in discussions and presentations to world representatives, advocating for basic, humane rights of women in suppressed countries throughout the world.

Other organizations she belonged to with the same goals included the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (VGIF) and the Organization of University Women.

When her active time in Altrusa was winding down, she became quite active in an group called Playwright's First, which supported aspiring playwrights in furthering their careers. Her duties included reading, grading, and judging numerous plays submitted to the group for evaluation, and in many instances staging "readings" of the plays for possible submission to producers for Broadway consideration.

Playwright's First and the St. Vincent Ferrer choir kept her quite active, as well as did keeping abreast of the local and national political scene, until her health started to fade at age 92. 

In her early years as a young girl, she spent her summers at Budd Lake , New Jersey, where she met her future husband.

Since 1970, however, her summers were spent in her cabana at Sun and Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, Long Island, N.Y. relaxing with friends and family... and some friends who became family.

The past three years of her life were spent at the Watermark retirement community in Southbury Ct., where she enjoyed all the activities and care and independence offered... keeping abreast of world news and events on TV, which she enjoyed tremendously,....and enjoying the close proximity to her family and loved ones.

Margaret Reddington Stadler.....wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother...….friend, educator, singer, coach, organizer, advocator, lover of the arts...…….lover of life.

April 28,1924 --- July 18, 2019