Margaret (Maggie) Whittaker, the widow of our late member Charlie Whittaker, and mother of our current Rotarian and Membership Chair, Michele Richardson, passed away on November 5th, 2026 at the age of 91. Our fondest thoughts are with the family as we extend our collective memories and gratitude for all the wonderful accomplishments of Charlie and his wife through many years. Margaret's obituary is here.
While Charlie was the official Rotary member at our club (and a Rotary Great) for 43 years from 1974 until his sudden passing in 2017, we all know that Rotary is a Family Affair, so his dear wife Margaret was absolutely integral to Charlie's many and varied accomplishments throughout the years.
The Whittakers shared a deep friendship with our other Rotary Greats, Paul and Jean Truex. As Margaret's obituary says:
Margaret dedicated more than two decades of service as the secretary at Shelldale Public School, where she worked from 1979 until her retirement in 2000. She loved her career and the many friendships she developed with students, families, and staff over the years. In retirement, Margaret continued giving back to her community by assisting her dear friend, Jean Truex, a retired public school teacher, with the successful "1,2,3 Program" at Tytler Public School, helping young learners.
Both Charlie and Margaret played an influential role in saving the about-to-be closed Shelldale Public School to become the home of today's Shelldale Family Gateway, which continues to serve the Onward Willow community of Guelph.
To learn more about these amazing people in our club's history, use our website's search field and key in their names. You'll be amazed.
Charlie Whittaker
Paul Truex
Jean Truex
Here are Margaret's funeral arrangements: Family and friends will be received at Memory Gardens Funeral Home, 2723 Victoria Street North, Breslau, Ontario, on Saturday, November 14, 2026, for visitation from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. A funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. in the funeral home's Woodside Chapel. Interment will take place at Memory Gardens Cemetery, with a reception to follow.