Margaret Gloor Kinberger 1929 – 2020
It is with the deepest sadness that we announce our wife, mother, “Gram”, and friend, Margaret Gloor Kinberger, passed away on June 24, 2020 at the age of 90.
Margaret was born on Sept. 8, 1929 and grew up near downtown Louisville. After losing her father at a young age, Margaret and her mother ran a boarding house, requiring Margaret, at less than 10 years old, to work innumerable hours cooking and cleaning while still attending school.
Margaret never forgot the difficulties of her childhood and was determined to obtain an education and pursue a professional career. She graduated from Atherton High School in 1947 and attended Nazareth College (now Spalding University) on a full scholarship. In 1951, Margaret graduated, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science Degree. Margaret worked for over 35 years as a medical technologist in the laboratory at Jewish Hospital, retiring in 1994.
In the Summer of 1944, Margaret met a dapper and charming young man named Charles “Ken” Kinberger at a church youth group meeting. Ken was immediately smitten and called Margaret “the most beautiful and smartest girl I ever did see.” Ken and Margaret were inseparable for the next 76 years. They married in 1950 and would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in December.
Together, Margaret and Ken built their own home in St. Matthews where they raised two beautiful daughters, Lynn and Laura, while also caring for Margaret’s mother. Throughout her life, Margaret was the consummate mother hen to those around her – a mentor to her coworkers; a caring eye watching over the neighborhood kids; and a nurturer to her mother, husband, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Margaret had a passion for flowers and held leadership positions in the Kentucky Council of Flower Show Judges, the Jeff Co Garden Club, and the Louisville Flower Arrangers Guild. She was also a Life Member of the National Council of State Garden Clubs and a certified National Flower Show Judge.
Ken and Margaret were supporters of the arts and regularly attended the Louisville Orchestra’s Coffee Concerts and PNC Broadway in Louisville performances. Margaret was an avid collector of decorative blown glass, which is prominently displayed throughout her house. Most of all, Margaret was a voracious reader who was especially fond of historical fiction.
Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond and Gayle Gloor; her two brothers, Thomas Gloor and Raymond Gloor, Jr.; and her daughter, Laura Leake, who succumbed to breast cancer in 2001. Margaret is survived by her husband of 69 years, Ken; her daughter, Lynn Carrie; her sons-in-law Tony Carrie and Mike Leake (Teresa); her grandchildren, Allison Henry (Mike), Kevin Leake (Maree), and Kimberly Pate (Don); her five great-grandchildren, Madilyn and Mia Henry, Kenshin and Kaizuka Leake, and two month old Eli Pate, who Margaret met shortly before her death; and an endless list of nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors, friends, and others who were part of her adopted family.
We are heartbroken, but we take comfort in knowing that Margaret lived a long, wonderful life and that her spirit lives on through the impact she had upon others.
Margaret will be laid to rest in a private service. A larger celebration of Margaret’s life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Margaret requested that contributions be made to Waterfront Botanical Gardens, Dare to Care, St. Matthews Area Ministries, Hosparus Health or a charity of your choosing.