Margaret Jane Koontz, 99, born March 12, 1925, passed peacefully on March 6, 2025, after returning home to the Terraces on Tuckerman Lane Assisted living in North Bethesda, Md after spending a week in the hospital fighting an infection. She was preparing to celebrate her 100th birthday in just 6 days before she succumbed to her recent illness. She was preceded in death in 2014 by her husband of 68 years, Wilfred Lee Koontz.
Margaret was born in Claggettsville, Md and grew up on a farm as the eleventh of 14 children of Harry and Margaret Anne Brown. She met her future husband before he went off for two tours of duty in WWII. As she waited faithfully for his return, she worked as a telephone operator. Upon his return, they were married on a snowy evening in January of 1946 at a church known at the time as the Little Church in the Wildwood, on Old Georgetown Road. It still stands today, just mere miles from her final residence.

Margaret gave birth to two sons and a daughter between 1946 and 1956. She was a devoted wife and mother to her three children and loved being a homemaker. She learned to sew and crochet and enjoyed designing and decorating the many homes she and Wilfred built in Damascus. Always taking a class and learning new skills, she was very ambitious in all areas throughout her life. When her children were grown, she joined her husband as bookkeeper for the family business, K & K Appliance in Damascus, Md. Once retired, she and Wilfred spent the winters in Florida and eventually moved to Clearwater Beach year-round. She was active in exercise classes and art classes, painting beautiful scenes that she would hang in her home. Becoming homesick for family and a desire to return to Maryland led to a move to Frederick Md to join some old friends who had relocated there as well. Margaret enjoyed her life there with Wilfred and meeting new friends. She was active and involved taking swim classes and working as a volunteer at the Frederick Memorial Hospital. She was also a member of the Damascus Methodist Church and the Damascus Ladies Auxiliary. Upon the death of her husband, she spent many years living independently before moving to assisted living. During Covid in 2020 she lived with her daughter for a year.

She was the last surviving sibling, by many years, of her large family. She is survived by Wayne Koontz of Bethesda, Randall Koontz of Germantown, and Marianne Rhoda of Chevy Chase, as well as three grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She was blessed to see all three of her children on a daily basis for lunch visits and afternoon cookies and ice cream. Margaret will be especially and lovingly remembered by her eldest grandsons Geoff Koontz and Spencer Rhoda, who faithfully visited and checked in on her, Betsy Koontz who loyally kept her up to date with letters and photos,
Anthony Newman who was always available to offer assistance and advice for anything needed, as well as the entire staff at Tuckerman Assisted Living who provided her with genuine love and special care every day.


The family will receive friends on Friday, March 14 at Molesworth-Williams Funeral Home, 26401 Ridge Road, Damascus, Maryland 20872, from 10:00 a.m. until services begin at 11:00 a.m. Pastor Phillip Ayres of Damascus United Methodist Church will officiate. Interment will be private for immediate family only.

Online condolences may be shared may be shared with her family on our website at www.molesworthwilliams.com