Margaret Frances Craig Giles, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend, passed away peacefully on July 20th, 2025, with her favorite songs playing softly and family by her side. She was 93 years old, and was still sharp, witty, tech savvy and even had her own emoji when texting to her friends and family.
Born in Rock Hill, SC, October 26, 1931, Margaret was the daughter of the late John Rufus Craig, Sr. and the late Alice Inez Garrison Craig. She was preceded in death by her brother, John Rufus Craig, Jr. and her sister, Doris Craig Williams. She was a graduate of the Winthrop Training School and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry from Winthrop College (now Winthrop University).
After graduation, she worked as a research assistant to a world-famous geneticist called Dr. Tracy M. Sonneborn in the Zoology Department at Indiana University. She was a member of that department at the same time as a Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Hermann J. Muller, and also Dr. Alfred Kinsey, and recently told her children what a privilege it had been to meet them and attend some of their seminars. Later, she was a research assistant at the Genetics Department of North Carolina State University where she was working towards her Masters in Genetics before she married. Later in life, she loved working at Harris Teeter’s testing laboratory until her retirement in 1999.
As a teenager, she was a member of the 4H Club and the Young Farmers Program. As an adult, she was an active member of the Rock Hill Women’s Club, the Town and Country Gardening Club and a member of St. John’s Methodist Church. She and her sister Doris were, for many years, active members of the Fairlawn Residents Association and made some wonderful longtime friends there. She loved travelling, photography, touring museums, gardening and bird watching. Above all, she loved to spend time with her family: visiting them, attending their many activities and sporting events, and making the holidays special for them (especially at Thanksgiving). She married Dr. José A. Giles Sáez, from Ayacucho, Perú, and they had five children. After her marriage she moved to Peru where she learned how to speak fluent Spanish and lived there until 1974. During that period, she also lived in Ghana for a year before moving back to Rock Hill with her children. Margaret never lost her love of traveling and frequently visited England and Scotland, Pakistan, the Caribbean, as well as many other European countries. She also loved to travel within the USA and had an epic 5-week journey to Alaska with her sister and her cousin Barbara, as well as touring the National Parks in the West and other adventures.
She was the beloved mother of Alicia Giles-Stewart (Brian), Maggie Ross, Kathy Carter (Joe), Joe Giles (Amy) and Miguel Giles (Sandra). Fantastic grandmother to Marissa Stephenson-Stewart (Kay), James Stewart (Amie), Dr Alexandra Ross Livingston (Patrick), Adam Carter (Jada), Craig Carter (Jessica), Hannah Cross (Ben), Dr Amber Billings (Jason), Andy Giles (Kelsey), and Morgan Giles (Grayson). Indulgent great-grandmother to Coraline Carter, Landon Carter, Jocelyn Carter, Madilyn Cross, Rosimary Cross, Doris Cross, Evan Billings and Brooke Billings. Margaret also leaves behind cousins Barbara Deery and Dot Drennan, her niece Nancy Bobbitt, her nephew Carlisle Craig, and many cherished friends.
The family would like to thank the staff at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill and Fort Mill, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Fort Mill and the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House in Rock Hill for their care and support of Margaret in the last few weeks. They particularly would like to thank all the staff at Westminster Towers for making her feel so special, and happy to live there.
A celebration of life will be announced to friends and family in the coming weeks.