Margaret Buscemi

Margaret Louise [Miller] Buscemi, 93, was welcomed into the arms of Jesus on November 20, 2020.

Also known as Peg, Peggy, Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma, she was born in Decatur, Illinois to Charlene [Hallock] Miller and Earl Miller on March 12, 1927.  

Preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Dorothy (Miller) Munther, and Philip A. Buscemi, she is survived by three children; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and her youngest sister, Patricia (Miller) Johnson. 

Her children include daughter Cynthia Ann and her husband John O’Connor of Kalispell, Montana; daughter Lisa Rene and husband Noel Mote of Rio Rancho, NM; and son Stephen Andrew and wife Sherrie Buscemi, also of Rio Rancho. 

Grandchildren include Shawna [O’Connor] and husband Josh Allen of Spokane, WA ; Isaac O’Connor and Cody O’Connor, both of Kalispell; Honour Buscemi of Tucson, AZ; Harmony Buscemi of Kentucky; Haley Buscemi and Holly Buscemi, both of Rio Rancho;  and Charis and Caleb Mote, also of Rio Rancho.

The five great-grandchildren are Connor, Madison, and Aiden Allen; Wyatt O’Connor; and Liam [Buscemi] Rodriquez.

As a 1950 graduate of the University of Colorado, Margaret was one of the first women in the country to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Before leaving Boulder, she married Philip A. Buscemi; worked for the university and for Dow Chemical Labs; and gave birth to her first two children, Steve and Cyndi.

Although Margaret then moved around the country as a professor’s wife, she also grew professionally and personally when the family landed at universities in Idaho, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

While living in Moscow, Idaho, she was employed by Washington State University’s R. L. Albrook Lab in Pullman, WA. There she handled various classified projects; helped design the water ducts that feed the electric turbines in northern Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam; and worked on the cooling system for the Saturn 5 moon rocket launch pad.

Her signature saying became, “Love you to the moon and back a million times.”

Margaret also studied architecture for two years at the University of Idaho, and gave birth to her youngest daughter, Lisa, in Moscow.

For some seasons, she left the work force to become a full-time homemaker, another “job” at which she excelled. Skilled in sewing, quilting, embroidering, cross stitch, and knitting, she created beautiful handiwork for her family and others throughout her life. Her hands and mind were never idle.

After the family moved to Portales, NM, Peg earned her MBA at Eastern New Mexico University in Real Estate and Marketing. A member of the Portales Realtors Association, she succeeded as an Office Manager, Realtor, and Property Manager for Sun/West Realtors until she retired.

Alongside one of her best friends, Delores Penrod, Peggy was involved with the Portales Community Services Center, and worked as the Coordinator of Special Projects for the agency.

She also traveled around New Mexico to present workshops on City Planning and Small Town Survival; and served on the local planning committees for Meals on Wheels, the La Casa de Buena Salud Health Project, and the Valle de Sol Housing Project.

As an advocate of education, Margaret functioned in many different roles for the American Association of University Women, including as the local and state president, and as a national committee member.

On a personal level, she helped the family raise and show champion Norwegian Elkhounds around the western United States. In terms of cooking, she joined an international cooking exchange, and she gathered a wealth of eggless recipes because of her son’s allergy to eggs.

Stephen remembers his mother as a “Jill of all trades,” but his most vivid impression of her was her fearlessness -- that she “never shied away from anything.”

He remembers how terrified her children were for her when the family was picking cherries in Montana, and their petite mother was on the 2nd rung down of a ladder, at least 15 feet off the ground. Peg was unperturbed.

Steve says he is certain his mom was applying her aeronautical engineering principles of gravity, lift, drag, stability, and balance, all in perfect harmony as she was taught to do in engineering school.

Some of Lisa’s fondest memories are the times in high school that her mom drove her and her friends to out of town football and basketball games, even state championships, because Peg loved sports and wanted the group to support the local team. The daughter of a truck driver, Margaret could drive most any vehicle in any kind of weather.

Upon retirement, Peg -- and her rescue cat and dog -- moved in with Lisa and Noel in Rio Rancho, where she added more rescues through the years, and where she established a home base from which she often took long visits to Montana and Arizona to see Cyndi and Steve’s families.

In her new hometown, this saint quickly became an active member of the Rio Rancho Calvary Chapel where she was delighted to volunteer with the Seasoned Saints Mentorship program. Her steadiness and wise counsel are what her daughter Cynthia remembers most about her mom.

She says, “From pulling my hair because I wouldn’t sit still for grooming; to tears at the table over math word problems, she was steady. She was at every important family event from births, adoptions, weddings, funerals, graduations, and Bible studies, which I believe was her favorite, with all her other talents coming in second to family and God.”

Not only was she a loving mother and grandmother, but her children’s spouses were, as her son-in-law John O’Conner says, “blessed to have the best mother-in-law anyone could have. She was one of a kind and we are probably the luckiest people on earth to have known her.”

An avid reader, who amassed a large collection of books, Peg also enjoyed expanding her views through travel.  When she was in her 70’s, she flew to Changsha, China with Stephen’s family when they adopted their second daughter, Holly – who quickly attached herself to Grandma and would let only Grandma brush her hair.

While there, this spiritual stalwart was invited to work as a missionary at colleges in China. She seriously prayed over it, then politely declined because she believed God’s main mission for her at that stage in life was her family, especially her grandchildren, who were then quickly growing in numbers.

Cyndi remembers the countless times she called her mom just to hear her voice. She says that her mom was “the best counselor I know, and I know a lot. Not only was mom my counselor, but she was also my friend.”

She goes on to say “Mom, your wisdom was from your King, and you imparted it with such grace. Never saying anything harsh or bad about anyone, always pointing my heart and mind to the King and Healer of my soul. I know you could do it well because you looked to Him to heal yours. You learned His heart and shared it well. You are a blessing to all who got the honor to meet you here on your Montana visits.”

No matter where she went, Peg did puzzles. Most recently, a puzzle of a Chicago fountain captivated her attention as she recalled attending the opening of that fountain in her youth.  

Despite Margaret’s education and accomplishments, she maintained that the best things in her life were Jesus, her family, and CHOCOLATE! 

Cynthia sums up Peg this way: “My guess is that your crown is quite heavy with jewels. I can see you sitting at His feet worshipping and praying for all who will follow. We love you to the moon and back a million times…hey, not fair, you can do that in a split second now. See ya soon, mom.”