Margaret R. Dearth

Margaret Rita Morse Dearth passed away on Sept. 8, 2022, at the StoryPoint care facility in Saline, Michigan, after suffering from Alzheimer’s. She was 96. On May 8, 1926, Margaret Morse was born to Floyd and Rita Morse in Detroit Michigan. She was also welcomed by Marie Morse, her older sister. A few years later a third sister, Ruth Morse, joined the family. When Margaret was five, her grandmother Parke, who lived in Florida, became ill with cancer. Margaret’s mother, Rita, took the children and spent a year in Tampa, Florida, helping her mother. Margaret went to school for one year in Florida. The next year the family came back to Michigan after Grandma Parke died. Margaret enrolled in Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio. When World War II ended, she met Richard Guilford, who had been a Marine Corps lieutenant. He attended Miami University nearby. They married on a cold January day after he graduated and moved to Cadillac Michigan where he had a job in a plywood factory. They lived in a small house on a lake where they enjoyed year-round fishing. In 1949, their first child, David Guilford was born. A few years later Richard took a temporary assignment in Ohio. Margaret, pregnant with Bob, and Dave, stayed in Detroit with her parents, the Morses. In 1951, Robert Guilford joined the family. The family rented a small house right near the center of Birmingham. They lived there a few years then purchased a house at 32261 Auburn Drive in Beverly Hills. In 1956, Peter Guilford was born. After a few years, the family outgrew the house on Auburn Drive and moved nearby to 515 Westwood in Birmingham. As the children got older and went to school, Margaret had some free time. She was always athletic and enjoyed learning golf and tennis. She played these sports until just a few years ago. Both Margaret and Richard enjoyed acting and being in plays. They both had lead and minor roles in many plays at St. Dunston’s Theatre in Cranbrook. About 1976, Margaret and Richard moved to Pentwater where they built a house on Lake Michigan. Richard worked at a nearby company. Margaret decided to go into business and they bought the B&K Root Beer Stand in Pentwater. She ran it for five years. Over the years, her sons Pete and Bob worked there, and her niece Margaret lived with them and worked two summers. Margaret had the secret root beer recipe and made it herself. Margaret took beach walks almost every day in Pentwater. In the early 1980s Margaret and Richard moved to Marshall, Michigan. In 1983, Richard passed away from cancer. Margaret then moved back to Birmingham. About 1986, Margaret married Bob Dearth. His wife had passed away several years earlier. The couples had known each other at St. Dunstan’s. Bob Dearth had a wonderful job running Meadowbrook Theatre at Oakland University. He and Margaret always had great seats and got to meet many famous artists. Each winter they took an extended vacation and went to Arizona and Mexico, later buying a condo in Tucson. In the mid 1990’s Bob Dearth died of cancer. Margaret then spent winters in Tucson and summers in Pentwater. She was a member of the Pentwater Tennis Club and the Pentwater Yacht Club. She enjoyed long beach walks, visits with friends, golfing, and playing her favorite card game, bridge. In 2016, Margaret sold the condo in Tucson and moved to StoryPoint. Margaret is survived by two sons, Dave and Bob, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Pete passed away in 2002. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 11:00 A.M. at the Robison-Bahnmiller Funeral Home in Saline. Friends may join the family for a time of visitation from 10:30 A.M. until the time of service at 11:00 A.M. To leave a memory you have of Margaret or for directions please visit www.rbfhsaline.com.

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Margaret R. Dearth

May 8, 1926 - September 8, 2022