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Margaret T. (Traxler) Foster, 93, of Williamsport, formerly of Huntingdon, went to be with the Lord Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Leighton Place, Williamsport. She had been in declining health for the past few months. Born March 13, 1933 in McAlevy's Fort, Huntingdon County, she was a daughter of the late Archey Stewart Traxler and Mary Olive (Moore) Traxler. She was united in marriage to Gerald David Foster on June 12, 1954, at the Ennisville Methodist Church by the Reverend Garland Patterson. Mr. Foster preceded her in death on February 24, 2015.
She is survived by a daughter, Patti (Foster) Eichensehr and husband, Bob, of Williamsport; a granddaughter, Kristen Eichensehr and husband, Richard Re, and their daughter, Alexandra, of Cambridge, MA; a grandson, Kevin Eichensehr and wife, Courtney, and their son, Kayden, of Hawley, PA; a step-grandson, Jason Eichensehr and wife, Shannon, and their children, Kendall, Grayson, Sawyer, and Jonah, all of Williamsport. She is also survived by her sister, Sylvia Appleby Mainzer of Pittsburgh; a niece, Susan (Appleby) Sliman and husband, George, and great-nieces, Rachel Robbins, Sarah Shipley and husband, Cody, and their daughter, Rylie, all of Pittsburgh; and four nephews, Grant David and wife, Miriam, and their family of Myerstown; George Moore, Jr. of Wisconsin, and his children and their families; and James and John Foster and their families.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a half-brother, George Moore of Wisconsin.
She was a graduate of Huntingdon High School, class of 1951.
Margaret was employed by C.H. Miller Hardware Company, Huntingdon, later known as C.H. Miller's, as a secretary. It was there where she met her late husband who was also employed at Miller's. She retired from C.H. Miller's in 1999 after 39 years of service.
Margaret was a life-long Methodist and a member of First United Methodist Church in Huntingdon. Saint John's Newberry United Methodist Church in Williamsport became a support for her after her move to Williamsport.
She and Gerald were volunteer drivers for the Huntingdon Meals-on-Wheels for many years and were involved at the Standing Stone Senior Citizens Center, Huntingdon, where Margaret was the treasurer for a number of years. She served on the Huntingdon Area Eye Care board and the Huntingdon-Bedford-Fulton Area Agency on Aging. She also worked on the Huntingdon County Board of Elections for 20 years, serving as a clerk and then minority inspector.
Margaret enjoyed baking and hosting family meals for many years. Her time with family was precious to her, and she did all she could to make it pleasurable for everyone, every time. She was known for her fruit and pumpkin pies, apple dumplings, whoopie pies, and truly enormous angel food cakes, as well as the hundreds of Christmas cookies she and her sister, Sylvia, made annually. She delighted in teaching Kristen, Alexandra, and Kevin to make family recipes and fielded innumerable phone calls to answer cooking questions.
Christmastime was special to Margaret. For many years she and Gerald had Christmas decorations outside as well as inside. There were displays in every room, and they enjoyed sharing the holiday spirit and giving tours of their home. Margaret's favorite color was red, and she liked "pretty things" and enjoyed shopping for those things that caught her eye, especially the Hallmark ornaments, Santas, snowmen, and cardinals that she collected. Other holidays were also given their due with decorations displayed, including a tree in the corner of the fireplace hearth decorated for every holiday and season.
Margaret also loved to garden and choose flowers at garden centers. She enjoyed camping and later staying at the cabin with Gerald and cutting wood through the years. Following the passing of her husband, she enjoyed relaxing with colored pencils and coloring books and continued to complete word search puzzles. Margaret discovered doing jigsaw puzzles with her friend Dee at Leighton Place, reading Wanda Brunstetter books, and watching Lawrence Welk and Pennsylvania Polka.
She had a remarkable memory for people's family history, connections, and dates. She kept a diary for many, many decades. Her family members would often call and ask her for some information from the diaries or for her recipes.
She was a kind, loving, patient, and generous wife, mom, Gram, Great Mimi/Gigi, sister, and aunt. She will be deeply missed by her family, as well as friends in Huntingdon and at Leighton Place, Williamsport, where she had resided since March of 2021. Her family thanks all of the staff at Leighton Place and Compassus Hospice for their care and compassion.
Friends will be received from 1 p.m. until the hour of service on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at the John B. Brown Funeral Home, 417 Washington St., Huntingdon. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at the funeral home, with Pastor Duane Coy officiating. Interment will be in the Greenlee Cemetery, Jackson Township, McAlevy's Fort.
Flowers will be provided by the family. Memorial contributions in her memory may be made to the Ronald McDonald House, Southern New Jersey, 550 Mickle Blvd., Camden, NJ 08103, or to Leighton Place Garden Club, 1251 Rural Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701, or to Compassus Hospice, 575 Montour Blvd., Suite 1, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.
To sign an online guest book and express condolences, visit www.johnbbrownfuneralhome.com.
Services are under the direction of the John B. Brown Funeral Home, 417 Washington St., Huntingdon, PA 16652.