Margaret Werner Pleus, a resident of Plandome and Port Washington since 1940, died on Thursday, April 26, 2002 of congestive heart failure. She was born June 21, 1909 to Andrew and Theresa Werner of Philadelphia where she was educated. She became private secretary to Albert Pleus who proposed to her on their first date and married her on June 20, 1929. Moving successively to Cleveland and New York, returning to Philadelphia and then to New York, the family settled in Plandome.

Margaret was active in the Plandome Women's Club, serving as president in 1949-1951 and was a volunteer at North Shore Hospital for many years and helped raise funds for the purchase of the Plandome Country Club from its owners. At the time the owners proposed dismembering the club and selling the land to real estate developers. In part through her efforts the club was saved. Following the death of her husband, in 1954 she joined Aug Millang Real Estate. She subsequently moved to New York City and did volunteer work at St. Luke's Hospital, but the lure of the Long Island waterfront drew her back to Port Washington, where she permanently settled. She has been a member of Manhasset Bay Yacht Club since the 1940s and besides loving to sail enjoyed duplicate bridge and played frequently at The Great Neck Woman's Club of which she served as secretary. Her fondest activity was travel. She made numerous trips around the world, by ship and by air, visiting over 110 different countries.

Margaret leaves, besides her son, Werner and daughter-in-law, Julie, three grandchildren: Albert Hamilton Pleus of Honolulu, HI, Margaret Marie Pleus of Hamburg, Germany and Fr. Adrian Pleus of Kennesaw, GA and five great-grandchildren.

Margaret was a parishioner of The Church of Saint Mary in Manhasset where her grandson Fr. Adrian Pleus celebrated her funeral Mass on Wednesday, May 1. In place of flowers, contributions to the Fr. Adrian Pleus Scholarship Fund at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA. would be sincerely appreciated.