VerColen, Margaret Ryan

Margaret Mary Bernadette Ryan VerColen (“Margie”) passed away on May 18, 2024, at the age of 70.  Margie was born on January 5, 1954.  She is predeceased by her parents, Dennis C. and Mary J. Ryan, brother Stephen C. Ryan, and sisters Ann Marie Ryan and Kathleen A. Ryan Schreib (Raymond Schreib).  She is survived by her husband Lee David James VerColen, sons Michael Robert VerColen (Leigh Anna Erickson) and Ryan Matthew VerColen (Michelle Lyn Ross Cannan), brother Dennis Ryan (Christine Murphy), cousins, nieces and nephews, and many cherished friends and extended family members.

Margie was a graduate of Our Lady of Mercy High School, the University at Buffalo, and Syracuse University School of Social Work.  Everyone in her household knew she was the first, and only family member with an advanced degree.  She worked as a therapist and social worker for Monroe County, Genesee Hospital and Unity Health, and in private practice before her retirement.  Her dedication to kindness, compassion, and service improved the lives of many in our community.  She maintained lasting friendships with her classmates from Mercy and many colleagues in the mental health professions.

Margie received the first of many serious cancer diagnoses in the late 1980’s.  She survived breast cancer while continuing her work and nurturing a young a family.  Although nearly forty years of her time with us were spotted with multiple cancer diagnoses and treatments of every kind, her life is truly punctuated by her triumphs and the flourishing of her friends and family.  She was an unwavering light in the lives of others, always ready to share her boundless inner strength to inspire us, her compassion and wisdom to guide us through difficulty, and her easy kindness to make us feel loved always.

Before and after retirement, Margie gave her time to charity.  Even while in treatment, she provided help and counselling to other breast cancer patients and survivors.  She volunteered at the town’s food pantry and a local hospice care house, among other charities.  Margie and Lee traveled extensively, visiting Ireland, many Caribbean islands, Alaska, and her favorite place, Topsail Island, North Carolina.  “They walked a very long way together, just following their memories” – Winne the Pooh.

She enjoyed reading and keeping in touch with her friends and family.  Margie loved gardening at her home in Fairport.  She devoted herself to the research of her family history, uncovering the stories of her ancestors back several generations.

Margie was a lifelong fan of the Green Bay Packers, and “owned a piece of the Pack” – a single share of stock in the team.  Through her fandom, she introduced her children to the joys of creative profanity.  Her interests were many, and her passions obvious to those who knew her.  “Wait, I don’t know where I was going with that…”

She will be dearly missed.

“If there ever comes a day that we cannot be together, keep me in your heart.  I will stay there forever” – Winnie the Pooh

Friends are invited to join the family for calling hours on Tuesday, May 28, from 4 to 6 PM at Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home (7501 Pittsford-Palmyra Road, Fairport, NY 14450).  The family will say goodbye to Margie privately at her permanent resting place in White Haven Memorial Park. 

Margie’s husband and sons will host a celebration of life, at a date to be determined, later this year.   Friends and family are invited to provide photos, thoughts, and memories to share at the event.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Margie’s honor to Advent House of Rochester, American Cancer Society, or a charity of your choice.