Margaret Elizabeth (Johns) Chastain

Margaret Elizabeth (Johns) Chastain passed from this life on August 7, 2017 at Athens, Alabama.

She was born in Washington County, Indiana, on June 21, 1919, to J. Oren Johns and Anna Belle Chastain Johns.  She was the oldest of six children.

Margaret spent most of her childhood in Washington County, although she began her school days at Point Isabel, Indiana, southwest of Marion.  In Washington County, she attended elementary school at White Rose, Smedley, and Voyles.  She graduated from Campbellsburg High in 1937.  She experienced all of the Depression years.

Margaret was baptized into Christ at around age 12 in 1931.  She remained a strong and faithful Christian all the days of her life.  As a child, her family attended Smedley Church of Christ and would attend the Old-Time Hymn Sings at Fort Hill Church of Christ.  She was a life-long member of the Church of Christ and served as Bible class teacher.

Margaret was known for her cheerful disposition and friendly manner.  She knew the value of living right and dying right.  Her favorite hymn was “Each Step I Take”.

On April 8, 1938, she was married to Bruce I. Chastain in Terre Haute, Indiana.  Her paternal grandfather, J. S. Johns, performed the ceremony.  Margaret and Bruce were married for 62 years.  Their years together were spent in Springfield, Ohio; Columbus, Indiana; and Athens, Alabama.  For thirteen years, they spent winter months in Tampa, Florida.  Bruce died on August 3, 2000.

During the 1940s at Columbus, three children were born to them: Lorita Ann; Donna Sue, who died in infancy; and Norman Lynn.

Margaret enjoyed her morning coffee, being a homemaker, wearing hats to church, fishing, attending Columbus high school basketball games, watching sports on TV, her Home Demonstration club activities (serving as County President of the Bartholomew County (IN) Extension Homemakers), making sequined calendar towels at Christmas, cooking, eating out, going to auction sales, collecting carnival glass, babysitting her granddaughters, reading the Salem (IN) newspapers, and collecting owl figurines.  At the beauty shop in Athens, she was known as “The Owl Lady”.

Preceding her in death were: her parents; step-mother, Lillian Purlee Johns; husband, Bruce; daughter, Donna Sue Chastain; brother, James Johns; and sister, Magel Walton.

She is survived by: her daughter, Lorita Singleton, of Tampa, Florida; son, Norm (Linda) Chastain, of Athens; granddaughters Karen (Kevin) Markum and Rachel (Coulter) Broadway, of Athens; great-grandson, Randall “Randy” Markum, of Athens; sister, Garnelle Stephenson, of Salem; brothers John Oren (Barbara) Johns, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Kenneth “Duke” (Barbara) Johns, of High Point, North Carolina.

The funeral will be at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, August 14, at Weathers Funeral Home in Salem.  Burial will follow at Crown Hill Cemetery, Salem.  Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:30 P.M. on Sunday.