By Libby Hubbard
InkFreeNews

FULTON COUNTY — For Margaret “Margie” Hubenthal, life’s lessons can be summed up in a few simple words.

Born in 1946, Hubenthal was raised on a two-acre farm outside Twelve Mile, where her family kept cows, pigs and ponies.

Cass County native Margaret “Margie” Hubenthal shares a smile following her “Know Your Neighbor” interview with the Shopping Guide. Photo by Libby Hubbard.

“It wasn’t a big farm, but it was home,” she said.

She attended Twelve Mile High School before graduating from South Caston in 1964, just a few years before the surrounding townships consolidated into what is now the Caston School Corporation.

After losing her father at 16, she leaned on family and found her path in beauty school.

“My mom always fixed my grandmother’s hair,” she said. “So I thought I’d give it a try. I signed up the summer after my junior year, and by the time I graduated high school, I had graduated from beauty school, too.”

In high school, she also met her husband, Don.

“He went to my senior prom with me,” she said with a smile. “I asked him. He didn’t really want to, but his dad told him, ‘You said you would, so you’re going.’ That honesty meant everything.”

The couple married shortly after Hubenthal’s high school graduation and raised three sons. Don has since passed 20 years ago, but Hubenthal still treasures their life together.

“I had a wonderful marriage,” she said. “I still love him dearly.”

Now 79, Hubenthal has weathered serious health scares, including open-heart surgery, cancer and COVID-19.

“I didn’t even know I had a heart problem until the day before surgery,” she said. “But I’m blessed. I’m doing well.”

She has also faced family loss, including the death of her sister at just 36 and her father’s passing when she was 16.

“I’ve known grief my whole life,” she said. “But my dad and his brothers always laughed a lot, and I think I got that from them. Laughter helps you get through a lot.”

Today, she values honesty in her friendships as much as she does in life.

“I tell my friends, ‘if you don’t want to go somewhere, just tell me,’” she said. “You’re not going to hurt my feelings. Be honest. That’s how you have a good time.”

And if there’s one piece of advice she hopes others will remember, it’s simple: “Be truthful, be honest, be kind, and try,” she said. “And sometimes, you’ve got to know when it’s right to just bite your tongue.”