We were notified on Friday morning that Meda’s mother, Margaret Renton Chesney, had passed away early that day in the facility where she had been cared for over the past several years. Meda and her sisters decided to share this remembrance via our blogs, Facebook pages, etc. in lieu of a paid obituary.

Margaret Renton Chesney
1923-2014

Margaret (Margo) Renton Chesney, passed away peacefully at age 90 with her family at her side on Friday, February 7, 2014 in Belmont, California.

Margo was born on June 4, 1923 in Honolulu, Hawaii to parents James Lewis Renton and Meda Menardi Renton. She spent her early years at Ewa Plantation, where her father worked as chief engineer and, later, mill superintendent. Her grandfather, George F. Renton Sr., served as manager of Ewa Plantation from 1898 to 1920, and was succeeded by her uncle, George F. Renton Jr., who was manager from 1920 to 1937.

Chesney and her family moved to the “mainland” in 1931 and settled in Portland, Oregon.

Margo attended high school at St. Helen’s Hall in Portland, Oregon, where she graduated in 1940, a year ahead of her class. To pursue her passion for both math and music, she traveled east for college and musical studies, selected Goucher College in Baltimore, MD., in part because of its proximity to the Peabody Conservatory of Music.

In 1944, she graduated with majors in Physics, Math, and Music. She met Robert William Chesney, a student at Johns Hopkins University, in a physics class that was offered to the women students at Goucher. After their graduation, they married and moved to Oklahoma, where Bob landed a job as a geologist in the oil fields around Woodward.

In 1947, the couple had their first child, a daughter, Meda.

Less than three months later, a tornado–still ranked as one of the most damaging in Oklahona history–swept through Woodward. The Chesney’s home was destroyed. Mother and child were initially caught in the rubble, but were able to escape and were rescued. [Photo: Margaret Chesney and daughter, Meda, in early 1947. More background on her experience of the Woodward tornado is available.]

With the terror of the tornado fresh in their minds, the family left Oklahoma and moved back to Baltimore. They had three more children, Margaret Ann, Robert Lloyd, and Anna Mae.

The couple divorced and Margo moved back to Portland, Oregon in 1962 with the children. She taught math briefly in the public schools and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Counseling. She wove together her love of math and psychology working as a math teacher and counselor in high schools in Portland and Vancouver, Washington. Later she served as a Career Counselor for Washington State.

She maintained her love of music, first directing the junior church choir at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Ruxton, Maryland and another in Portland. She also enjoyed making beautiful embroidered pieces, needlepoint and weaving. She donated her works to the church and gave beautiful gifts to family and friends. She always had a strong commitment to social justice, and worked to find affordable housing for the needy in Baltimore, counseled men about resisting the draft during the Vietnam War in Portland. In 1990, she was named Unitarian of the Year for her “outstanding support and dedication” and her many contributions to the First Unitarian Church of Portland, including service on many committees and as editor of the church newsletter.

Margo moved to the Bay Area in 1993 where she continued to spend time with family and friends while living in San Mateo, Burlingame and Belmont.

Margo is survived by her daughter Meda Chesney-Lind and her husband Ian Lind of Honolulu, Hawaii; daughter Margaret Chesney Anderson and her husband David Anderson of Menlo Park, California; son Robert Lloyd Chesney and his partner Thinh Jones of Portland, Oregon; and daughter Mae Chesney and her partner Peter Rothblatt of San Francisco, California. Margo is also survived by granddaughter Crystal Chesney Thompson and her husband Derek Thompson; grandson Brian Chesney; and great-granddaughter Kaelyn Thompson. She was preceded in death by her loving brother, James Menardi Renton in 2012.

We’ve been blessed to have this amazing woman as our mother, friend and confidant. She met life’s challenges and loved life’s gifts in ways that inspire us to do the same. May she rest in peace.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those who cared for Margo, spend some more time with those they love.