Margaret May (Hyndman) Harris

Margaret May (Hyndman) Harris of Spring Arbor, Michigan, age 90, was called home by the Lord Jesus and gently transitioned into eternity in the early hours of Thursday, January 2, 2020.  Margaret was a dedicated Christ follower who spent her life in the service of her Lord, Church, family, and Spring Arbor College.  She is survived by her loving husband, John H. Harris, and her four children Diane (Daniel) Kurtz, Robert (Michelle) Harris, Ronald (Patricia) Harris, and Douglas (Sara) Harris as well as numerous and much loved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, two brothers John Hyndman and Allen Hyndman, numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Her parents, Howard and Rena Hyndman and her brother Ken Hyndman pre-deceased Margaret. 

She spent her childhood with her family on St. Joseph Island, Ontario before moving to Spring Arbor to attend school, graduating in 1950.  Married in 1951, John and Margaret had their children, and once they were all in school (1966) Margaret began her career at Spring Arbor College (SAC) in student development as Director of Career Planning and Placement and chair of the SAC Ladies Guild. At the same time, she finished her B.A. degree at SAC.  She was dedicated to helping students with resumes and job searches, placing many in their first jobs after graduation as well as sharing her home with SAC international students.  Margaret also used her organizational skills in many capacities at Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church including serving as one of its first youth directors with her husband, John, starting a very successful one-year-old Sunday School class where children and parents affectionately called her “Grandma Margaret,” serving as the coordinator of the church prayer team, helping in the SAFMC food pantry, and chairing the funeral dinner committee serving up to three funeral dinners per week in some cases and much more.

Margaret loved to travel and explored the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, England, Scotland, Ireland and the European continent.  Her interest in the broader world included ministries throughout Asia and Africa.  Margaret loved the Lord Jesus, was gracious, loving, encouraging, and humble, seeking to glorify God in every way she served others in her many roles.  She had a compassionate heart for the least of these, and especially children in poverty stricken areas of the world, sponsoring many children through International Childcare Ministries over the years.  She was an avid reader, studied her Bible constantly, and lived a life of prayer. 

A celebration of Margaret’s life will be held at the Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church Saturday, January 11, with visitation at 1:00 pm and memorial service at 2:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, Margaret would prefer donations be made to Henry Ford Allegiance Hospice of Jackson, MI who provided excellent care for Margaret over the last months of her life, to Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church missions, or to Free Methodist International Childcare Ministries, childcareministries.org. 

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