Margaret Chidley

Mystic — Margaret W. (Denniston) Chidley, 83, a resident of Stoneridge in Mystic, wife of Capt. Ralph E. Chidley (USN retired), died July 19, 2018, at Avalon Health Care.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, she was the daughter of the late William and Marion (Wilson) Denniston, and sister to the late Bill Denniston of Glasgow. The Chidleys lived in Ledyard from 1961 to 1973, when they moved to northern Virginia. Margaret and Ralph moved back to Connecticut in 2006 to be closer to family.

Margaret had a successful career in real estate, first as a realtor and later as an investor. Margaret was known for her extensive artistic talents and produced many high quality paintings in her lifetime. For a decade she was the set dresser at the Aldersgate Community Theater in Alexandria, Va. She served on the board of directors at the Arts Club of Washington, D.C., for over 15 years.

Margaret was a devout supporter of her church filling many roles, most recently at the First United Methodist Church in Mystic, and previously at Gales Ferry UMC in Ledyard and Aldersgate UMC in Alexandria.

In addition to her husband, she leaves a son, Brian Chidley and his wife, Pam Dolan, of Mystic; and three grandchildren, Nell, Simon and Ben. Her first son, Derek, died of lymphoma in 1988.

A memorial service celebrating Margaret’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at the First United Methodist Church, Willow Street, Mystic. Her burial will be held privately. There are no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church.