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Margaret Hilpert — a life beautifully lived
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With sad hearts we share the news of Margaret Hilpert’s transition from her earthly life. She died unexpectedly on October 7 while on vacation with John to attend a grandson’s wedding.
Although we are grieving, we are experiencing the great paradox of celebration, too. Margaret touched creation in thousands of ways to make life richer. One of her long-time friends and fellow member of the mission group at Cedar Cross, Mac Hulslander, described Margaret well in a poem he wrote for her 70th birthday. The poem is below along with an obituary written by her family. The photo above shows one of the thousands of Margaret’s touches at Cedar Cross.
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Margaret Rand Hilpert
October 17, 1940 – October 7, 2021
Colorado Springs, Colorado – Margaret Rand Hilpert passed away peacefully on October 7 2021, surrounded by her loving family. She was preceded in death by her parents William Roscoe Rand and Elizabeth Purnell Rand, her sisters Betty Rand Coward Stillwell and Billie Frances Rand, and her first husband Claude Phillips.
Margaret was beloved for many reasons — foremost, she was extremely devoted to her large family, whom she delighted in reuniting with every year at Ocean Isle. Appropriately, when she passed away, she was on a trip for a family celebration. Margaret grew up in Garner, where her parents were pillars of their community. She was a star basketball player at Garner High School, and is a member of the school’s Hall of Fame. She was baptized in the Garner United Methodist Church and was a woman of faith throughout her life, from following Christ’s teachings to care for the poor and those in prison to leading the singing at church.
After graduating from Meredith College, Margaret taught English and art at Garner High for many years, sharing her passion for both subjects with her students. She was loved by countless students and respected for playing a key role to integrate the school. This experience led to later work as a peacemaker with Witness for Peace and CITCA. She and her husband John led countless retreats, and were founders to establish the experiential Covenant Community Church in Raleigh. She, John, and many others worked over 40 years to create Cedar Cross Retreat Center, and were the first coordinators. She led in the design of several buildings, did major interior carpentry work, assisted in trail blazing, and created many gardens.
Art was a central part of Margaret’s life. She was a passionate and extremely talented artist, specializing in painting, collage, and felt-making. As chair of the Franklin County Arts Council, she guided a transition to a far more inclusive and broader mission. Her joy was in encouraging others’ creative expressions, and linking those to their spiritual journey.
Margaret was vibrant and whimsical, playful and fun with an incredibly adventurous spirit. She had great curiosity about people and the world and loved to travel with her sisters and with John. Margaret surprised no one when tackling a mountain water slide, riding with a grandchild on a roller coaster, or taking a spin on a merry-go-round at age 80. She was never without a deck of cards in her pocketbook for spontaneous game-playing. Everyone wanted Margaret along for whatever was happening.
She is survived by her husband and best friend of 40 years, John Hilpert, and by her beloved family – sister Mary Marshall Culp (Bob), daughters Suzanne Mitchell (Brian), Libby Phillips, Meg Dare (Mike), son Doug Phillips, stepson Mark Hilpert (Faye), 13 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. Memorial arrangements will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Covenant Community Church, Cedar Cross Retreat Center, Franklin County Arts Council, and Community Partners of Hope – Henderson.
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This is a sample of Margaret’s work in the Art Studio at Cedar Cross. She used art in providing spiritual direction as well as for bringing more beauty into the world.
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The following is a poem written by Mac Hulslander in observance of Margaret Hilpert’s 70th birthday. It is dated 10/17/2010.
TO MARGARET AT THREE SCORE AND TEN
With what choice words would one describe you
At this propitious juncture of your life’s journey?
You have lived the role of many –
Dutiful daughter, inquisitive student,
Conscientious teacher, spiritual guide,
Community builder, dependable friend,
Advocate for the poor and marginalized, faithful disciple,
Wise crone and beloved companion.
Your touch of textile and palette
Releases those earthy tones and hues
That awaken both pleasure to the eye
And awe within the soul.
Your knowledge and trust of the artistic within each of us
Grants the needed permission to explore both
The chaos and creativity of such oft-deferred impulses,
A process which in turn gives sway to some of the Spirit’s deepest longings
Or the discernment of a welcomed insight.
Your grasp and depth of empathy and understanding
Were forged on the anvil of life’s pains –
Sibling and parental loss, divorce, strained relationships,
Bodily injury, the plight of the poor and oppressed –
All enabling you to join with Denver in singing,
“All this joy, all this sorrow, all this promise, all this pain,
Such is life, such is being, such is spirit …”
Throughout all of life’s vicissitudes
Your soul has clung to a sure knowledge and love of God
That births within you a deep and abiding faith –
One that will not let you go … nor you, it.
As a mother and grandmother
You take pride, joy and delight
In serving family as a solid rock and foundation,
Always ready to meet the challenges of each new day
With an inner reserve and resolve that summons forth the best in others.
For all of us who know you,
You provide the warm experience of “coming home”
By your welcoming presence, generosity and gracious hospitality.
Simply put, you are simply amazing!
So, now in these, life’s crowning years,
(Yes, oft accompanied with ever new aches and losses)
May you continue in the ministries
To which you have been called
And in witness to the love and acceptance of all
That you so faithfully manifest.
For, truthfully, to know you is to love you and ever so gently, yet “remindfully”,
Apprehend the hand of God at work in the world.
HAPPY 70th!
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Mission of Cedar Cross: Rest, Reflection, and Renewal
We provide overnight and day-retreat space for small groups (up to 16 participants) and individual retreatants. Individuals, couples, and friends are invited to stay in Heron’s Nest, which is a two-bedroom cottage, or in one of the three suites of the Lodge. For more information, please contact the coordinator, Jimmy Allen, at 919-729-2586, or at cedarcrossregistrar@gmail.com. More information is available on our web site: cedarcrossretreat.info. We look forward to hosting you.
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Mission Group members who oversee the ministry of Cedar Cross
Butch Grove, Vickie Grove, Mac Hulslander, John Hilpert, Lillie Jones, Ginger Allen, and Jimmy Allen
Specific roles at Cedar Cross
John Hilpert, founder and back-up host
Jimmy Allen, coordinator
Lillie Jones, gleaner
Mitch Mitchell, caretaker for outdoor spaces
Lori Litton, bookkeeper
Linda Lamb, caterer
Covenant Community Church supports this retreat center through the Cedar Cross Mission Group. We are a small ecumenical church offering a participatory form of worship that invites lively involvement by all members. We worship Sunday afternoons in Raleigh at the Community United Church of Christ (corner of Wade Avenue and Dixie Trail). During the pandemic the community gathers virtually. If you would like more information, please send an email to cedarcrossregistrar@gmail.com.
The mission group, which is a subset of the Covenant Community membership, typically meets monthly at the retreat center for a day of work, prayer, play, planning, and being with friends. During the pandemic, those meetings have been virtual, although we have had a couple socially-distanced work days.
Giving
We are grateful to all who support the ministry of Cedar Cross Retreat Center. If you believe in providing a place for people to experience rest, reflection, and renewal, please consider giving a donation.
You can give securely online at www.cedarcrossretreat.info/donate/ or click on the donate button below. Or send a check to Cedar Cross Retreat Center, 150 Cedar Cross Way, Louisburg, NC 27549.
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Jimmy Allen
Ginger Allen