Margaret Wengyn Shea

Margaret Wengyn Shea of Solomon Street, Ashley, died early Thanksgiving morning at her daughter's home in Wilkes-Barre, where she stayed for the past year.

Born July 12, 1928 in Plymouth to Joseph and Mary Janicki Wengyn, Margaret was a product of the Depression and World War II. She worked tirelessly in her parents' small corner grocery store while attending Plymouth schools. Margaret graduated from Plymouth High School ("Shawnee Against The World") in 1946.

Mrs. Shea then attended college at Misericordia, graduating cum laude in 1950 with a degree in Education. She met some lifelong friends there, such as Winnie Conway and Mary Trabucco, both also remarkable teachers. She was very fond of her years at Misericordia and was thrilled to visit the campus one last time in September of 2021.

After Misericordia, Mrs. Shea started teaching. Her career began in the Cortland, New York public schools and ended at St. Nicholas - St. Mary's School in Wilkes-Barre during the mid-1980s. Other teaching assignments included the public schools of Haverstraw, New York, Hanover Area, and St. Ann's Academy (perhaps her favorite). While teaching in New York, she met her late husband, Jim, and they raised three children together. They were married for forty-two years until Jim's passing in November 2000.

Her life was about caring for others, starting with her family and then her students. She eventually had to stop teaching to care for her mother and later other relatives who became infirm and bedridden.

Her son Jim (Tonya) of Fort Wayne, Indiana; daughter Mimi (Anthony) Johnson of Wilkes­ Barre; son Joey (Natasha) of Feasterville Trevose; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren in Pennsylvania and Indiana (with another on the way); beloved sister-in-law Mary Wengyn of Reading; niece Maria Wengyn of Reading; nephew Joseph Wengyn of Chalfant; other family and friends will miss her very much.

Celebration of Margaret's Life begins Sunday, December 3, 2023, with visitation from 3 to 5 PM at McLaughlin's, 142 South Washington Street in Wilkes-Barre. It continues there on Monday, December 4, 2023, with gathering beginning at 9 AM, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10 AM in the Church of Saint Nicholas.

Share memories and condolences with Margaret's family at mjmclaughlin.com