Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Margaret E. Bond was born to Thomas and Doreen Bond in Southport, England, in 1938. She was raised with two sisters, Jean and Edna. Even though times were tough as there was a war going on during her childhood, the family always had enough to eat because they lived on a farm. When the air raid siren sounded, families moved to bomb shelters. For Margaret and her sisters, her grandmother came over to watch the girls. Margaret always liked hanging out in the bomb shelter because her grandmother would sneak her treats and share stories. In school, the children wore gas masks with animal faces on them so they wouldn't be scared. Margaret remembered being spoiled rotten by her grandfather, who owned a store. She was a bit of a troublemaker during her childhood as she always spoke her mind. She told her family stories of getting her friend Pat into trouble. And, when she pushed a little girl into a pond, she hid in the cupboard at school so she wouldn't get into trouble. She stayed in the cupboard during the entire class because she had heard the little girl's brother was looking for her. It turned out, the boy wanted to ask her to the movies. For fun, she loved dancing. Looking back on that time she said, "every night, it was this dress, that underslip and those high heels." In school, she was athletic and played the British girl's version of baseball. She graduated from high school and went on to earn a Masters of Art degree in college. One of her classmates in art school was singer John Lennon. She didn't like him very much and made little jokes about it for years to come.

Margaret's life changed forever when she was hit by a motorcycle. The man who was driving the motorcycle felt badly because his brakes froze causing the accident. She had broken her arm and he went to visit her in the hospital. His name was Alan Burton. They were both smitten and started dating. Margaret and Alan often joked about the wedding ceremony. The priest announced the groom's name was Alan Burton. Margaret said she stopped the ceremony and said, "That's not the guy I'm marrying – his name is Basil Rathbone." Basil Rathbone was a famous actor. She became Margaret Burton that day. As Alan worked as an engineer, the couple traveled to Africa and Germany. After returning to England, Margaret and Alan welcomed their only daughter into the world and named her Fiona. They were so proud to be parents. Soon after, Alan was hired by UCLA, and the family moved to Southern California. They had planned on going back to England eventually, but Fiona didn't want to leave her friends. Fiona went on to graduate from high school in Glendale. As part of her graduation gift, Fiona spent three months traveling with classmates to Egypt, London, and Switzerland. Margaret always enjoyed looking at the photos of Fiona riding a camel and standing by the great Pyramids. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and Margaret supported her daughter 100 percent. After returning to the states, Fiona eloped with John in a wedding ceremony on Catalina Island. When Margaret found out, there was a second wedding held in Glendale.

When there was talk of grandchildren, Alan quickly became known as Grandpa, but Margaret never wanted to be called Grandma. Instead, she wanted to be called Nana. She was so pleased with the births of each one of her grandchildren: Brittany, Nicole and Ian. She was a doting Nana in every sense. Brittany remembers that she used to play games with her. In fact, she'd take part in anything she wanted to play for hours. When Brittany turned tortellini covered in green pesto sauce into food for Bambi, Margaret agreed to eat the food like Bambi would – off plates set on the floor. To her grandchildren, Margaret was really Supergrandma. Nicole remembers creating their own restaurant called The House of Blues. The kids cooked for Nana and Grandpa and charged them for the specials of the day, which they listed on a chalkboard. And, the kids were like young entrepreneurs – charging their grandparents real money to eat the ingredients they had originally purchased. Although it seemed like paying twice for your food, Nana and Grandpa were happy to pay the prices for every delicious entrée. The kids were always happy to see them visit. They'd visit every weekend and show up with donuts. When Margaret read stories to Brittany, she changed the details to make it more fun to read. When Brittany went home and her mother tried to read the same story, Brittany said – "No, you're telling it wrong. The giant did this instead." Fiona had to call Margaret to find out the creative plot that replaced the published version. Fiona returned to Brittany's bedside and told the story Margaret's way, which delighted the youngster. Nana visited the apartment often and when it was time to go, Brittany cried "Nana, don't leave me." Margaret said later she'd cry the whole way home from those visits. Her favorite song to sing to Brittany was "You Are My Sunshine," and Margaret had a comforting way of rubbing her back so she knew everything would be alright.

Life was not without challenges. The hardest part of Margaret's life was losing her daughter, Fiona. Fiona's children were all under the age of 14 when she died. Then, when Fiona's husband died a year later, Margaret's grandchildren went to live with an aunt and uncle for a while. Brittany, Nicole and Ian eventually moved in with Nana and Grandpa. And, it was wonderful. Brittany remembers that in many ways Margaret was really their first mother. She was there for Brittany, Nicole and Ian at every turn. She was strong, yet loving, and supportive. In a world of confusion, she provided balance. And, she was fun. When she found canes behind the entertainment center one time, she told Ian they were her canes because she was the Strawberry Witch.

Margaret has a long history with Forest Lawn, as she was the museum curator. Darin said that she left an indelible impression on him, describing Margaret as a force. It was really her museum. With a twinkle in her eye, she would describe the backstory about the artwork or how it was acquired under interesting circumstances. She'd tell how Forest Lawn wanted the story told and then she'd give you the truth – the 100% factual, real story. She gave you the real secret behind the artwork every time. Maybe Forest Lawn changed the name of the piece and she always had the original name. When Darin was Vice President of Cypress, they had an art walk and invited the community to join a tour of the park to look at the pieces of artwork. Margaret led the tour, but when she got frustrated with the stragglers and people not listening, she showed up the next time with a bullhorn. She had one of those powerful voices and when she explained the artwork, she wanted people to listen. The bullhorn worked. Margaret was a very self-assured, self-confident woman. She didn't take much from people, as she wasn't shy and retiring. She was quite a character. She dealt with Fred Llewellyn, John's father. She worked in the museum when Fred's wife was the curator. Margaret took over after she passed away. She was very close to the Llewellyn family. She had a great knowledge of art and everyone respected her. Jim Wilke always got a hug from Margaret. Jim remembers her as a great lady who knew every piece of artwork. She was friendly, outgoing and warm. Jim said – if Margaret liked you, she'd do anything for you.

Margaret had a heart for art, children and animals. When a squirrel fell out of its nest, Margaret nursed it back to health by dipping a sponge in milk and feeding her. She named the squirrel Jasmine. Even after she released Jasmine, the squirrel stayed in the yard for the rest of her life. As a result of sharing her story about Jasmine, Forest Lawn employees gave Margaret squirrels they found that needed rescuing. Margaret accepted the squirrels, raised them to a healthy age and then released them. While she was devoted to Forest Lawn, she was also devoted to her grandchildren. She'd walk her grandchildren to the Glendale Galleria to buy random pets such as a parakeet. She loved animals. She had many cats over the years. Her 12-year-old cockatiel, Rosie, is a very talented bird. When prompted by Grandpa Alan, Rosie can whistle the song "Over the Rainbow." It was perfect, because Margaret's favorite movie was "The Wizard of Oz." There were other pets. Margaret's rabbit was named Harvey, like the movie starring Jimmy Stewart. Her St. Bernard was named Brandy, she had a cat named Razz and a white cat named Bowie. Finally, Margaret's dog is only four years old and her name is Rilow. She always fed stray animals in the neighborhood, too. Grandpa once told Ian, he wouldn't be surprised if Margaret was feeding the mountain lions in the park.

Margaret loved taking her grandchildren to swap meets. Every Sunday they went to either the Rose Bowl, the PCC Swap Meet, or the Swap Meet in Glendale. She collected dozens of porcelain eggs along with hundreds of Quan Yins, statues of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Margaret had artistic abilities as well. Brittany says they are talents that both Nicole and Ian inherited from Margaret. When Brittany had an art project due in high school, Margaret helped her paint it and Brittany turned it in as her own work. The high school teacher was so impressed with the piece, he asked, "Can I keep it?" Margaret thought this was so funny. The piece of art still hangs in the high school classroom as a tribute to Margaret.

After Margaret retired from Forest Lawn four years ago, she went out four nights a week with Brittany. After Brittany earned a job at Forest Lawn in the museum, the only thing Margaret wanted to talk about was Forest Lawn and the art. She knew everything about the art. If anyone ever had a question, Margaret was happy to get the call. Brittany remembers you could say, "you know that picture with the man wearing the hat…" and Margaret could give you an entire history about the piece of artwork. She had an incredible memory for the art she loved so very much. Over the last few years, Margaret enjoyed going out to dinner at Coco's Restaurant two nights a week. At home, her grandchildren remember that she made the best Au Gratin Potatoes. She had coffee in the morning and a glass of Merlot every night. If you asked her why she drank Merlot regularly, she said the doctor told her to have a glass of red wine every evening and she listened.

Margaret had many favorites in life. She and Alan enjoyed taking the kids to Disneyland and they went to Catalina every year. She loved listening to classical music by Tchaikovsky. When her neighbor would play rap music very loudly, Margaret would turn up Tchaikovsky to drown it out. They'd battle back and forth with the levels of the music between classical and rap. She enjoyed raising herbs in her garden and at her old house in Glendale, she had a wonderful avocado tree. She liked wearing the color blue because it brought out the blue in her eyes. On Sundays, she liked watching golf on TV. She used to play golf by Griffith Park. Her favorite golfer was Phil Mickelson. In her free time, she enjoyed reading Dragonlance novels. In fact, she read the entire series about wizards. She loved every one of those books. There were times she took quotes and made them her own quote by mixing and matching quotes. They were quotes that made her grandchildren laugh. Recently, when she told Brittany "You can't squeeze blood out of a stone," Brittany thought it was another quote she had made up. She was surprised to hear Nana used a real quote. No matter what was going on in her world, Margaret always remembered to tell her grandchildren those three special words often by saying "I love you." If any one of them made a mistake, Margaret was the one who said it would be fine. She was a supportive problem solver who gained infinite respect from her grandchildren. For Alan, they would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary next year, as they've been married for 49 years. While they were opposites in many ways, he being more sensitive and Margaret being tough as nails, they were partners and best friends in life.

A year ago, when Margaret wasn't looking so well, Brittany made sure she went to the hospital. When she flat-lined, the doctors brought her back to life. So grateful, she often said Brittany saved her life. In her final days, everything was normal. She was making plans for Christmas Day dinner as Grandpa Alan was still in the convalescent home and Nicole and Nick were traveling to Glendale from up north. On December 11th, technology provided her final gift. Nicole had a photo of the ultrasound of Margaret's first great-grandbaby sent to Brittany's cell phone. Brittany showed that photo to Margaret and so, she was able to see a detailed photo of the baby's face. Margaret was told that the baby was a boy and she was so happy that technology allowed her to see that photo. She bought patterns so she could knit the baby sweaters. When she talked to anyone about it, even strangers, she said, "Hi, I'm Margaret and I'm going to be a great-grandmother." Having a baby boy excited her to tell everyone. In one of her last conversations by phone, she told Brittany that she had a cold and one of the maintenance workers from Forest Lawn years ago had told her of a cure: a mix of sugar, lemon juice and a shot of Brandy as a chaser. It had cured her cold before and she thought it would work again. When she was found, the sugar, lemon juice and Brandy were found on the counter. The last thing she said when speaking to her grandchildren by phone were the words, "I love you." Two months ago, the doctor said she was fine and so her passing was unexpected, but there are so many wonderful memories now. While there are tears now, Margaret wouldn't want the tears to last forever, as her advice would be to make the most of your life and make her proud. Every time you watch her favorite film, "The Wizard of Oz," think of the magic and Margaret. Her grandchildren will miss everything about her. Especially, her wonderful advice. While she had an opinion about everything, Margaret will best be remembered as feisty, brilliant and loving. With strong beliefs in God and Heaven, Margaret believed her faith carried her through the tough times. The family hopes that she has been reunited with her daughter, Fiona, as they ask that friends and family to remember Margaret with smiles.

Margaret E. Bond Burton was preceded in death by her parents Doreen and Thomas; her daughter Fiona and son-in-law John. She is remembered by her husband Alan; sisters Jean and Edna; granddaughter Brittany; granddaughter Nicole and her husband Nick; grandson Ian; and many wonderful friends.