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Margaret Annette Ehret Apgar, 84, of Southbury entered into rest and joined her beloved Arthur on October 16, 2026.
Born in New York, NY, in January 1942, Margaret, during her youth known as "Cookie" and in later years as "Ann," grew up in Mt. Vernon NY with two older brothers and their parents Charles and Margaret Ehret. She adored her brothers Charles Jr. "Chuck" and Robert "Bob" and was proud of their service in the Navy (Chuck) and the Marines (Bob).
Cookie/Ann modeled professionally from a very young age, although unfortunately she did not end up keeping her own portfolio the way one does today. She was still modeling after graduating from A.B. Davis High School in 1959 and going to work at General Foods, in a typing pool and in public relations. It was at General Foods that she first met Arthur Frederick Apgar, soon to become her sweetheart, husband, and the father of their two children. They married the day after Art turned 21, on October 21, 1960. Sometime after daughter Elizabeth was born in 1963 they moved from their apartment in southern Westchester County, New York, to a little house in Kitchawan in the northern part of that county. Son Arthur Jr. was born in 1965. Elizabeth and Arthur went through public school in Yorktown, the family did a lot of their shopping in Mt Kisco or White Plains, and they went to church in Ossining.
Ann learned at some point that she was adopted, so for her having children was especially meaningful as it was the first time she met someone who was actually related to her. She adored her older brothers and their wives and children. She was beyond devastated when brother Bob was killed in a tragic auto accident in 1961. Sometimes she thought about trying to find out about her birth family, but for the most part that quest was shelved until much later in life.
She was given her first Bible in June 1949, when she was seven years old, by the Community Church at the Circle, in Mt Vernon, and remained a faithful and prayerful person all her life. Ann was raised variously Protestant, but Art was Roman Catholic, so after they got married they compromised and raised their family in the Episcopal Church. At St. Paul's On-the-Hill in Ossining, NY, Ann sang in the choir, and when their children were teen-agers, she helped with the youth group. Art was also involved in a number of roles including serving on the vestry.
Ann was in fact musically inclined for most of her life, having also sung in the chorus or choir in school, performing in places including Carnegie Hall. In later years she also played the recorder and the electric organ. Sometimes she would sew, or try her hand at needlepoint, embroidery, crewel, rug hooking, and similar "arts and crafts" of the 1970s and early 1980s.
When the children were old enough, she went back to work, trying a few different jobs before settling in as a bookkeeper and general secretary at Arnold Larson, Inc., a Swedish importer in Ossining NY, where she worked for a number of years.
Decades later, she worked with Art and their son Art Jr. to launch Clayton's Mercantile Supply, ....
Ann retired from Clayton's in 1993, when their first grandson was born. She and Art became "Yiayia" and "Papou" to Salvatore and Dominic Triano, Carter and Reece Apgar, and Macauley and Camden Torpey.
Over the years, Ann and Art enjoyed traveling, including to a number of states for Lucia Festivals, to trade shows domestically and abroad, and for pleasure in general. Whether going to see the Great Wall of China, seeing fabulous sights in Thailand, taking the train and enjoying the scenery in the Canadian Rockies, or just enjoying being snowbirds and then later full-time Floridians for a while, they worked hard at building a life together for which they were both eternally grateful.
Ann spent a lot of time in her golden years gardening and enjoying nature. She had a beautiful garden at her Florida home with many plants and raised gardens beds. When they moved into their retirement community, she spent time gardening in a nice bed she created off her deck where many people in the community commented on how beautiful it was.
One of the more exciting things to happen in Ann's golden years occurred after she took a DNA test from Ancestry.com. It turned out that her birth father was from the same general area and there were family members eager to find out who could be out there related to him, as he had died early in WWII flying with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Her biological mother had died in 2006, but on her father's side there were a number of charming cousins she got to meet and get to know. Finding her real family gave her a closure in life that she had always longed for.
Friends are invited to greet the family on, Tuesday October 20, 2026 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Carpino Funeral Home, 750 Main St S., Southbury. On Wednesday, her funeral service will begin at the funeral home at 10:30 AM. Interment will immediately follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in Ridgefield.
To leave a message of condolence for the family, please visit www.CarpinoFuneralHome.com.
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Legacy
Margaret Annette Apgar
January 13, 1942 – October 16, 2026
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