Margaret June (Austin) Jolliffe of Tampa, Florida, died Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

Margaret was born in Muncie, Indiana on April 14, 1926, the only child of Gail and Daurene Austin. She attended and graduated from Royerton High School in Delaware County, Indiana. She later matriculated from Ball State University with a B.S. in Nursing. She was married to Robert Edgar Jolliffe on December 4, 1947; they were married for 62 years before his death in 2009.

Margaret worked as a Registered Nurse at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Indiana for 15 years and then for 15 years as Office Nurse for Dermatologist Dr. Milton H. Gustafson, also in Muncie, Indiana. She and Robert retired in the late 1970’s and moved to Corbin, Kentucky for a few years. They transferred to Bradenton, Florida, then lived aboard their beloved sailboat, Pelican, for a few years, and eventually moved to Tampa. While living in Florida, Margaret was much loved as a Nanny and care-giver to many children, particularly those of Dr. Mary Lee and Bill Josey, as well as her own grandchildren.

From childhood, Margaret was a member of Friends Memorial Church in Muncie, Indiana, the church in which she and Bob were married and sang in the church choir. Margaret and Bob also attended Bayshore Methodist Church while living in Tampa, Florida. Among Margaret’s inspirations were her talents at the piano and as a singer with Sweet Adelines. She loved gospel, classical and bluegrass music, but nothing so much as hearing her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren sing and play.

Margaret is survived by her children Gail Frances (Jolliffe) and Theo Merritt; Mary Lynn (Jolliffe) and Paul Kraack; and Thomas Edgar and Debi (Winters) Jolliffe; her grandchildren Andrea (Merritt) Sloan, Robert Merritt, Stephen Kraack, Jason Kraack, Amanda Jolliffe, Beth (Jolliffe) Hunt, and Selena (Jolliffe) Poff, as well as eight great-grandchildren.

A memorial service for Margaret Jolliffe is to be held at the studios of Theatre Arts and Dance Alliance, 16711 Fishhawk Blvd, Lithia, Florida on Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 2:00 p.m., which will be available as a streamed broadcast at www.kraack.us.

In Margaret and Bob’s memory, the family requests that you send monetary donations to the Bob Jolliffe Technical Theatre Scholarship Fund, Educational Theatre Association, 2343 Auburn Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45219-2815, Attention: Kristin McFadden, Director of Development, kmcfadden@schooltheatre.org. More information of the Educational Theatre Association is available at: http://schooltheatre.org/Home/