Margaret Onita Musser Silbar (Gram) passed away on August 21 at age 87.
Born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania to Mable and Aurther Musser, Margaret was the youngest of the 3 children. Her brother Bill, was 1 year and 12 days older and her sister Wanda, 11yrs old at the time. The family owned a restaurant called “Musser's” in a neighboring steel town called Burnham, where her “Mother” (always must call her that because Mabel hated to be called Mom) cooked and Daddy, (Arthur) tended bar . From the time they could walk all the kids were serving coffee and eggs to the workers at the local steel mill.
Margaret was the Valedictorian of Derry TWP Lewistown High School. She aspired to be a singer and actress attending Ohio State University to further her craft. There she met her husband Stuart and they began a 22 year adventure. They had their first three children in three different states from Dec 1954 to April 1958, Jeffrey in Key West, Raymond in Danville, Pennsylvania and Claudia in Chicago Illinois. They finally settled in Lexington Kentucky where Adam was born in 1965. Margaret did everything all out. She converted to Judaism, became a member of the choir, raised her kids through Bar Mitzvahs, youth group camps and confirmations as well as all the holiday celebrations. She made the best fried matzah of all time.
Meanwhile she worked at Stuart’s lady’s clothing stores, the Sportswear Marts, and was a celebrity in Lexington as “Margaret from the Sportswear Mart”, doing several commercials every year that she and Stuart wrote, directed and produced.
In the late 60s and early 70’s she and the kids summered at Herrington Lake, where Margaret played Rebecca Boone in Harrodsburg’s outdoor drama, “The Legend of Daniel Boone”. She loved the lake life and enjoyed waterskiing (and she was good), summer activities and entertaining the casts of the show as well as her Lexington friends who would drive out from town to visit.
After Harrodsburg, she spent three summers in Prestonsburg’s Summer Music Theater and starred in Hello Dolly, Anything Goes and Bye Bye Birdie as well as other shows. Her singing voice was powerful and loved by all who heard it.
In 1978, Margaret decided that she was going to “go for it”. So she followed her dream, moving herself and 13 yr old Adam (also so she could make him a childhood star) to Los Angeles. She had no place to live and only a couple of contacts that she knew through the theaters in Lexington.
Margaret’s acting career spanned decades, ranging from starring in over 200 plays, musicals, commercials and films and she did small roles in Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. She excelled at every career she embarked on. Real estate agent, Marketing Director for a Thoroughbred horse farm in KY and securities sales.
Margaret loved people, family and partying with all.
She was a great woman and all that knew her have forever been changed for the better. There are true friends and admirers in every place that she has been. Until recently, she kept up with so many of them and she could tell you details of their lives as if she had lived with them. She would have had more friends than anyone on facebook as well as followers on instagram and twitter if social media had started earlier in her life.
Her best friends were two gay men as far back as the 60s. Her children grew up blind to prejudice, even in the south. She taught them the power of LOVE and the reality that LIFE is a blessing.
She is survived by her four children as well as 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.