Margaret Amelia, secretary, homemaker

Margaret M. Amelia, a former secretary who was a homemaker and an active member of her church community, died July 24 from cancer at Delaware Hospice in Milford. The longtime Bolton Hill resident was 87.

The former Margaret Mitchell was born and raised in London. She was the daughter of Adrian H. Mitchell, an investment specialist, and Mary Louise Mitchell, a homemaker.

She was a 1948 graduate of Ursuline Academy, a private Catholic high school in London. After graduating there, she completed a series of secretarial and business courses, then worked as a secretary in London.

In 1953, she met William F. Amelia, a U.S. Air Force non-commissioned officer, on a blind date, and the two fell in love. Her future husband completed his military service in 1954 and returned to the U.S. She followed a year later, and the two were married.

For several years, Mrs. Amelia worked as a secretary for Berman and Berman, a Baltimore law firm, until their daughter Margot was born in 1958.

After moving to a home on Mason Street in Bolton Hill, Mrs. Amelia volunteered for many years with Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church. She was a communicant of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, and served as a member of its Altar Guild.

An inveterate birdwatcher, Mrs. Amelia was a member of the Maryland Ornithological Society, the Baltimore Bird Club and the Delmarva Ornithological Society.

For many years, Mrs. Amelia and her husband maintained a vacation home in South Bethany, Del. In 1997 they built a home in the Point Farm community in Dagsboro, Del., and moved there.

She was a founding member of the Spirit Community, a Point Farm welcoming group. She was also a longtime member of the Daughters of the British Empire, Anne Hathaway Chapter, which supports the work of the Victoria Home for the Aged in Ossining, N.Y., which originally had many British patients.

Mrs. Amelia was an avid reader of mysteries, historical fiction and poetry. One of her favorites was the British poet Philip Larkin.

“She was addicted to acrostic puzzles and challenging jigsaw puzzles, one of which could usually be found in process on the kitchen table,” said her daughter, Margot Amelia of Roland Park. Plans for funeral services are incomplete. In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Amelia is survived by her husband of 65 years, a retired Baltimore public relations executive.