Obituary of Margaret G. Hallock
Margaret Gilmore Hallock, of LaGrange, passed away on Septmber 14, 2017 at her home surrounded by her family. She was born on June 5, 1924 to the late Clifton and Lura Smith Gilmore, of Wagoner, Oklahoma. She is survived by her husband Donald G. Hallock, two sons, Donald A. Hallock of LaGrange and Gary G. Hallock of Pleasant Valley.
She started piano lessons at the age of 8, and was active playing for her church. She also played clarinet in her high school band. She attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi. She graduated in 1945 with a BA in Music with a Piano Performance Major. She also studied with Dr. Rudolph Ganz at the Chicago School of Music and with E. Robert Schmitz at Mills College. Later she continued her studies with Earl Groves of Vassar College.
After Graduation she formed a piano studio in Stillwater and also taught college students at OSU. One of the latter become her husband. She and Donald G. Hallock of Clifton N.J. were married in Stillwater, OK on August 29, 1949. They recently celebrated their 62nd anniversary.
After moving to the Poughkeepsie area in 1951, Margaret took some time off from teaching to start a family. In 1958 she began teaching again in her studio in Poughkeepsie, at one time reaching 40 students. While teaching a few adults, her greatest love was teaching children.
She attended several piano workshops, including sessions at Westminster Choir College and Oberlin College. She was a founding member of Patrons for Young Artists and she was a Performing Member of Matinee Musicale.
In 1967, Don and Margaret began camping in a tent camper and after 42 years and several campers they had covered all 48 lower states and seven of the Canadian provinces. They avoided heavily populated areas in favor of searching the countryside for local areas of interest. They visited 22 National Monuments and 16 National Parks. In 1998 they began a series of tours with a travel group that took the to the Kentucky Derby, the Milwaukee Circus Parade, Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival, the Natchez Pageant, Nashville Op’ry Land and the Quebec International Fireworks Competition. They took trips on Amtrak to Colorado and Washington State.
Margaret loved animals, and was especially fond of cats and she was an avid gardener. Donations can be made to The Animal Hospital of Wappingers Falls at 79 Meyers Corner Road, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590.
Calling hours will take place on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, at the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral home, On 371 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. Funeral services will take place at 2:00 PM. For directions or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.DoyleFuneralHome.com.
Margaret wished to be cremated with her remains to be placed in her pond or any other body of water leading to the ocean and hence spreading to the rest of the world.
