Margaret (Marge) S. Kufrovich, 102, of Grier City, Barnesville died peacefully at her home in the early morning hours of Sunday August 18.

Born in Sheppton on Easter Sunday, April 16,1922, she was the daughter of the late Richard and Susan (Hullaway) Van Blargan. She attended the local schools and received her high school diploma from East Union Township in 1939.

She held the Degree of Pocahontas within the Women’s Auxiliary of The Improved Order of Red Men which patterned itself after the virtues of teaching kindness, love, charity, and loyalty to one’s nation.

Margaret loved art and fashion design. Her dream as a young adult was to attend Art School in New York. Then she met “Duffy” and that all changed.

Marge and “Duffy” (Joseph A. Kufrovich) were married at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Sheppton on June 28, 1941, by the late Father Joseph A. Baran. 

Their life together began in South Philadelphia where Joe worked for General Electric. Then WWII separated them. Margaret moved back home until her husband was discharged from serving his country.

Marge loved Big Band music and early on she and Joe were quite the couple on the dance floor.

But as they settled in, Marge and “Duffy” found a little bungalow in Grier City where they raised three children and a rescue dog “Bumper T. Bear”. They loved walks around the Valley especially around Locust Lake. 

Margaret cherished both her immediate and extended family. She especially looked forward every year to the VanBlargan reunion. After attending this past July, she remarked, “It was so good to see everybody”.

Marge loved and supported her community especially the Ryan Township Fire Company # 26 where her son “Blackie” served as Chief. When the Rescue Squad needed to be called, they all knew Marge.

For many years she was a Den Mother for the young boys of Cub Scout Pack 55, Park Crest. 

Margaret and Joseph were both devout Catholics and very active members in their church. They were two of the original founding members of St. Richard’s Roman Catholic Church in Park Crest. It is believed that with her passing, Marge was the last of those founding originals.

 

Margie helped clean and decorate the church, counted collections after the 11:30 Mass, and worked the kitchen for many years of Parish picnics. She belonged to the St. Richard’s Charismatic Prayer group and served with her husband Joe as a Marriage Encounter leader.

When not in the church kitchen, Margie worked in other kitchens. For 16 years she prepared homemade food for their ice cream stand in Seek, Coaldale: “Little Joe’s Dari Treat”.  Then for many summers, she and her sister Marie worked the ball diamond German food stand at Lakewood’s Bavarian Festival. Later she helped cook for her son Mark’s establishment along Route 54, the Sleepy Hollow Restaurant. All in all, Marge loved to prepare food and share collected recipes. 

Margaret will be remembered for her capacity to love: love for her God, love for her church, love for her community, love for her family, and love for her friends and neighbors.

The last of her immediate family, in addition to her parents, Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Joe in 2003, and her son Joseph Jr. in 2020, her two brothers Arthur and Thomas Van Blargan, and her three sisters: Grace Van Blargan, Helen (John) Kufrovich, and Marie (Joseph) Sofranko.

She is survived by a daughter The Most Reverend Bernadette Meck, Schuylkill Haven, a son Mark and his wife Mary Gale, Barnesville, Grandson Mark and his wife Alyssa, Fountain Springs, Grandson Matthew and his wife Jenna, Frackville, and three great grandchildren: Jordan, Kaelyn, and Ellie, and all her beloved cousins, nieces, nephews and neighbors.

A memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 19 at Saint Richard’s Church, Barnesville. Reverend Father Robert T. Finlan will officiate. Friends and relatives will be received beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the church. Interment will be held at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be donated to St. Richard’s Church, 799 Barnesville Drive, Barnesville, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital by calling (800) 213-6584, or a charity of your choice.

David D. Jarrett Funeral Home, Mahanoy City, is in charge of arrangements. Please visit www.jarrettfuneralhome.com for more information.