Margaret Rehm Rothschild died peacefully at home, surrounded by love and family, on September 10, 2013, at age 71, after what she called her five-year dance with cancer.

Margaret was born on November 9, 1941, in New York City. A 1963 Barnard College graduate, she went on to earn a Masters in Art Therapy from New York University and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from New York City’s General Theological Seminary. She also studied painting and ceramics at the Art Students League of New York and other venues.

Margaret’s passions were contemplative spirituality and the creative arts. A spiritual pilgrim investigating many traditions, she explored the concept of mystery through her painting and writing. Though ultimately embracing an inclusive spirituality, she found a welcoming home in the Christian community. She was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit on Vashon Island, Washington, where she has lived for the past ten years, and served as a community-at-large vestry member at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. Deeply committed to social justice and poverty issues, Margaret sat on the board of directors of Equal Rights Washington and was a staunch supporter of the ACLU and many other organizations.

One of Margaret’s highest priorities was community with others. A great joy of her last years was the interaction between her and her friends sparked by her email updates about her spiritual journey through medical treatment, life with cancer, and eventually, conscious dying. Through them, she demonstrated that death need not be driven by fear, and that if one puts light and love out into the world, one only has to ask in order to receive them in return. Margaret’s beautiful abstract paintings grace the homes of her friends and family, and together with her inspiring writing serve as a reminder that we are not separated by death – it is merely the next step.

Margaret is survived by her beloved husband George Heidorn, daughter Laura Ruderman and son-in-law Craig Greenberg, stepdaughter Judy Ruderman and son-in-law Bob Dubner, brother Jack Rothschild, stepsister Indigo Mahira, stepsister Chris Sekaer and her partner, Chris Ulrich, as well as stepsons Mark, Chris and Ken Heidorn and their spouses Jeff, CJ, and Denice, nephews Kevin DeMunn and Brian Rothschild, niece Heather DeMunn, and six grandchildren: Amelia, Courtney, Emily, Jacob, Jake, and Miranda.

There will be a memorial service on Wednesday, September 18 at 1:00 pm at Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle and a Memorial Eucharist and committal ceremony on Thursday, September 19 at 11:00 am at the Church of the Holy Spirit on Vashon Island. Donations in Margaret’s memory may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and to the Margaret Rehm Rothschild Meditation Chapel Fund at the Order of St. Helena Episcopal Convent in Augusta, Georgia.

Please visit our online guest book at www.islandfuneral.com.

Paid Obituary.