Margaret Houff

Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania
Margaret Baril "Deede" Houff, age 74, of Warfordsburg, and formerly of Silver Spring, Md., died Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at her home.

Born September 21, 1936, in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter of the late Victor S. and Margaret Sayers Baril.

She graduated from Holy Name Academy, St. Joseph's College, and received her Master's Degree from the University of Maryland.

She was an active member in both high school and college alumni associations, but her family and friends were her priority.

She retired, after 30 years of teaching, from Montgomery County Public Schools, ending her career as a Middle School instructional resource math teacher.

"Every child can learn, every child can be taught - a teacher's responsibility is to find a way to make it happen." Throughout her life she was always goal oriented, setting the bar for measuring accomplishments in life as high as possible and with seemingly unrestricted energy to always be available to help students and friends in their life pursuits. Everyone who knew her loved her and was always a best friend to her.

Traveling and celebrating life's milestones with family, friends and her former colleagues from St. Joseph's College and the Holy Name Academy, as well as White Oak and Briggs Chaney Middle schools, was a priority and source of loving fulfillment.

She is survived by her husband, Louis A. Houff, Jr., whom she married June 27, 1959, in Silver Spring, Md. They have two sons, Stephen, a physician in Canton, Oh., who founded a National Hospitalist Management program (HMG) based in Canton, and Louis Houff, III, of Pipperton, Tn., a vice-president of trauma sales with the Smith Nephew Corp., based in Memphis, Tn. She was blessed with three grandchildren, Julia, Marissa and Jenna; and is survived by one sister, Claire Green, of Middletown, Oh.

She was preceeded in death by one sister, Mary Frances Unnerstall.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, February 19, at 12:00 noon at St. Peter's Catholic Church, 16 E. High Street, Hancock, Md. The Rev. John Lombardi will be celebrant. Burial will be in St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Little Orleans, Md.

The family will receive friends Friday, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Grove Funeral Home, Hancock, Md. For the convenience of family and friends the Funeral Home willl be open 2 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

The family requests that memorial contributions may be made to St. Peter's Catholic Church or St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 16 E. High Street, Hancock, MD 21750

Online condolences may be made at www.grovefh.com