Margaret Bosworth

Margaret Lytle was born on January 5, 1916 on the family farm near Frankfort, Indiana to Gus and Elsie (Potter) Lytle. She and her older brother, Malcolm, would grow up knowing the hard work of helping her parents with the family grocery store and later the family farm but during a time when many young women would not complete their education, Margaret graduated from Jackson High School in the depths of the Great Depression in 1934. Unable to find other work after high school she worked as a "live in nanny" until she met another farm kid, Elmer Bosworth, and they married on August 13, 1938. Soon after their marriage Elmer felt a call to the ministry and they moved to Chicago so that Elmer could attend Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Managing studies and two small children on the limited income of a student meant Margaret needed to work nights in the cafeteria at Montgomery Ward while Elmer attended classes during the day.
Although Elmer was a student in a Bible College the coming of World War II would still interrupt their lives together as Elmer went off to War and Margaret was left to care for two young boys, Meredith and Milton "Gus", by herself. When Elmer safely returned home after service in the intense combat in the liberation of Europe there would be a year when Elmer worked at a machine company in Lafayette and a year working in Indianapolis but the desire to serve as Minister of the Gospel continued in the hearts of both Elmer and Margaret and so Elmer enrolled at Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) to resume his studies for the ministry. In the meantime the family continued to grow and now Margaret took care of three children with the birth of Marcia in 1947 and Elmer would have his first three churches as he rode the circuit from Sardinia, Indiana. It would later be five children with Elsie Marlene "Marty" being born in 1952 and Cindy in 1953 as the family lived in Atlanta, Indiana while Elmer finished his undergraduate work and pastored the church there for three years. It was during this time at Atlanta when the family would suffer its worst tragedy as Elmer and Margaret's oldest son, Meredith; at age 16 would be killed in an automobile accident, the victim of a drunk driver. But Margaret would never waiver in her love of Jesus Christ and her dedication to His Gospel.
Upon graduation from Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) Elmer enrolled in United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. As it was during the war years and the years that Elmer was at Indiana Central, Elmer also had the responsibilities of a Pastor. It meant that Margaret would have the added responsibility of caring for the household and managing the large family with a very limited income.
Elmer pastored a church in Hillsboro, Ohio during his time at United Seminary but upon completion of his Master's of Divinity the family returned to Indiana where he began his full time service to the Southern District of the Evangelical United Brethren Church which would eventually merge with the United Methodist Church. But the family would change at this time as Gus who had graduated from Hillsboro High School would stay in Ohio to attend Ohio State University, earn a degree in civil engineering and marry his high school sweet heart, Beverly Fenner in 1963, and the family would find a further blessing in the birth of another daughter, Micheil.
Elmer 's first pastorate in Indiana was of two churches, one in Georgetown, Indiana and one in Edwardsville. When the church in Edwardsville began to grow they asked Elmer to become their full-time pastor so the family moved to a rental house while a parsonage was built. Margaret served as a Girl Scout leader, taught Bible school and was camp nurse when Elmer was director at Camp Huntingburg and Camp Indi-Co-So. She worked as a nurse's aide at Floyd Memorial Hospital to supplement the family's income. When Elmer built a homemade camping trailer she was head cook and navigator on the family vacations. Margaret lost her mother, Elsie, to cancer in 1965. The family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1966 leaving Marcia behind as she had graduated from Georgetown High School and was attending classes in x-ray technology at Baptist Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. She married her high school sweet heart, Dale Lafferre in February of 1969.
From southern Indiana the family moved to the near Eastside of Indianapolis as Elmer pastored Bosart Avenue United Methodist and Margaret's dad, Gus Lytle, moved in with the family. Margaret worked at Fanny May Candies downtown on the Circle but they were only in Indianapolis one year before moving to Noblesville, Indiana.
In Noblesville Elmer was once again ministering two churches, one in the city and one in the country but this time he was to merge the two churches and build one new church. The family lived at 1137 Plum Street. Noblesville's A Capella Choir performed "The Messiah" each year for the community and they were invited to participate. Margaret sang soprano, while Cindy, who was in the choir, sang alto. Marty was in the marching band and each year mom would pack a wonderful lunch for the family to take to the State Fair for the marching band day. By this time the homemade camper had been sold and a "pop-up" camper purchased so Margaret's navigating skills were continued to be honed as the family ventured to Niagara Falls, Texas, and Wisconsin. Cindy and Marty both graduated from high school in Noblesville before it was time to move again, this time to Scottsburg, Indiana. Both Marty and Cindy would follow their father's lead and attend Indiana Central College although Cindy would transfer after her freshman year to Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. Marty married her Indiana Central classmate, Craig Ruch, following their time at college.
By this time, with children married and off to college, the family was smaller and at Scottsburg, Micheil attended Scottsburg High School and played flute in the marching band. During this time Margaret lost her father to emphysema in 1973. In 1974 Margaret, Elmer and Micheil moved to Evansville, Indiana where they pastored but they were only there a short time before they returned to Indianapolis to pastor East Park United Methodist. While at East Park Micheil would marry and Cindy would return home after graduation from Asbury and spending a year teaching in Costa Rica and become engaged to her future husband, Steve Hall. At this point Margaret and Elmer then moved to Oakland City in 1978, to minister to a church there and then on to Clinton, Indiana where Elmer retired in 1985.
Finally, in "retirement" Margaret and Elmer purchased a home in Atlanta, Indiana were Elmer continued to pastor part-time at the Albright United Methodist Church. This was a particularly fulfilling time for Margaret as she had her own home and was able to continue to work along side Elmer in his ministry as she had always done. She was also able to concentrate on her most beloved role in her life, that of being a grandmother and great grandmother. But she still found time to serve her community as a member of the Tipton Kiwanis Club.
In 2005 Margaret and Elmer sold the Atlanta home with its two acres, chickens, large barn, two dogs and numerous fruit trees and purchased a smaller home in Noblesville. This was a most satisfying move as Margaret and Elmer rejoined their old friends at the Emanuel United Methodist Church, a congregation which they had always loved and where they received great love and affection from the people of the church.
Margaret is survived by her family whom she loved dearly; husband, Elmer; son Gus (Beverly) Bosworth; daughters, Marcia (Dale) Lafferre, E. Marlene (Craig) Ruch, Cindy (Steve) Hall, and Micheil (Bill) Anderson; and sixteen grandchildren; Nicole (David) Bompart, Christopher (Laurie) Bosworth, Kurt (Kayla) Bosworth, Elizabeth (Eric) Tucker, Heather Lafferre, Russann (Kenny) Mekonen, Brianne (Matt) McCandless, Lauren (Darrell) Warren, George (Kelly) Hall, Margaret "Meg" Hall, Bethany Hall, Monica (Brian) Katowitz, Wesley (Michelle) Megnin, Jacob Anderson, Dylan Anderson and Joshua Anderson.