Margaret Louise Carter

Mom always said the kitchen was where love was made, not just food. Every holiday, she'd wake up at 5am to start cooking, and by noon the whole neighborhood could smell her famous ham. I'll never walk into a kitchen without thinking of her humming Moon River.

Grandma taught me that fresh flowers can fix almost anything. A bad day? Flowers. A broken heart? Flowers and cookies. She turned her little shop into a place where people came not just for arrangements, but for her wisdom and warm hugs.

Margaret brought me soup every single time I was sick. For forty years. Rain or shine, there she'd be at my door with her chicken noodle soup and a smile. That kind of consistent kindness is so rare in this world.

Dad always said he fell in love with Mom's laugh before anything else. Sixty years later, that laugh still filled our family gatherings. She found joy in the smallest things—a sunny morning, a child's drawing, the first bloom in her garden.

She always told us: 'Life is too short for artificial flowers and fake smiles.' Mom lived authentically every single day. Real flowers, real feelings, real love. Miss you more than words can say.