The world lost a powerful presence when Marge Meyermann, 96, died on May 7th. A longtime Wilmington resident, Marge was known for her work to aid the disadvantaged, her tremendous love for family and friends, her generosity and support of others, and her commitment to liberal causes and social change.
Marjorie Colton was born in a small town in northern Illinois in 1923, the second of three children born to Myrtle and Luman Colton. She completed high school at age 16. She liked to say she was Valedictorian of her class… of 11 students! Though poor, Marge’s family valued education, and she attended college at the University of Illinois where she met her first husband, William Hatchard. Marge completed her Bachelor’s degree in May 1944 and was married a week later. Marge and Bill spent the WWII years in Cambridge, MA, where they began attending the Unitarian church, an important religious choice for Marge. At the end of the war, they moved to Wilmington.
Marge was an active volunteer, serving on many committees and boards in the community. After she and Bill divorced, she began her professional career in social services. She became the Education Director of the Mental Health Association, then worked for the state’s Division of Social Services, eventually becoming the Director of Volunteer Services for the state of Delaware.
In 1972, she married Henry (Hank) Meyermann, a musician and piano technician. Through their long and happy marriage, Marge was able to feed her love of music, attending classical concerts and listening to Hank practice his own instruments.
Marge is best known for creating the Adopt-A-Family program, which she began in 1974 and directed statewide for 22 years. She received many awards for this work, including the Wilmington News Journal’s Jefferson Award and Hometown Hero Award. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Gov. Tom Carper. Marge “retired” from the State at age 72 to create New Pathways, a non-profit agency which supported low-income, often abused, mothers. Marge retired for real at age 79.
Marge led a rich, very full life, with many interests and activities. She was an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington, where she most recently served in a lay pastoral care capacity, and where she had many longtime friends.
Most important of all to Marge (or “Dobbie,” as she was known to her family) were her roles of mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was loving, generous, and supportive of family members, and kept in close contact with them until her death.
Marge was preceded in death by her parents; one brother; her husband, Hank; two stepsons, Ted and Jay Meyermann, and one granddaughter. She is survived by her older brother, Luman Colton, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; her daughters Janet (Bob) Saltzman of Wilmington; Marnie (Brian) Singer of Fremont, CA; and Julie (Ryan) Dybdahl of Ann Arbor, MI; and her daughter-in-law Darlene Meyermann of Lebanon, OH. Dobbie will be sorely missed by her eight surviving grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. It is hard to imagine our life without Dobbie at the helm.
The family welcomes stories and memories to be sent to Marge’s home address.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Unitarian Church of Wilmington or a non-profit that is aiding people in this time of pandemic.
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