Margaret R. Chittenden Surrounded by her family, Margaret Rosalind Chittenden died peacefully December 29, 2016. Margaret was born January 31, 1933, in Northumberland, England, to Mary Jane and James Barrass. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, James Chittenden, of Lakewood, son Stephen (Susan) of University Place, daughter Sharon Ilstrup (Blake) of Redmond, WA, sister June (Dave) Shuttleworth of Canada, grandchildren Alexis, Matthew, and Andrew Chittenden and Alec and Anna Ilstrup, and nieces Lynne Shuttleworth and Anne Shuttleworth Vendetti of Canada. She was preceded in death by her parents. Margaret was a well-known author who won numerous awards for her work. During her decades-long career, she had over 100 short stories and articles, a book on writing, three children's books, and 33 novels published. Genres included mystery, romance, suspense, and mainstream. She was also a sought-after lecturer, and spoke at writers' and readers' gatherings across the United States, British Columbia, and Japan. Margaret enjoyed travelling, and often used these trips for research for her next book. She and Jim visited places around the country and around the world. She took great pride in making her books as accurate as possible. Margaret and Jim were long-time residents of Lakewood, moved to Ocean Shores for several years, and recently moved back to Lakewood. She and Jim loved living at Ocean Shores. Margaret loved many things the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, a good glass of wine, a Guiness, bangers and mash, travelling, and a good book. Most of all, though, she loved her family, and looked forward to spending as much time with them as possible. A celebration of her life will be held Tuesday, January 31, from 1-3 p.m. in the Willow Room at Mountain View Memorial Gardens. She will be inurned at Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Foundation.
Published in News Tribune (Tacoma) on Jan. 22, 2017