ALTAMONT — Morag Marjorie Stuart Kennedy Stauffer was, her husband said, “a people lover.”

“She was very warm and very outgoing,” said Donald Stauffer.

Mrs. Stauffer loved her husband and children, of course, but her love extended beyond that — to the village where she lived, to inner-city residents, to people with disabilities whom she helped bring to Altamont, and to students she taught on the other side of the world in China.

She “entered into eternal life with the Lord” on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, her family wrote in a tribute. She was 87.

Mrs. Stauffer was born on June 22, 1930, to Scottish parents, Marjorie Coxon and R.G.S. Kennedy, in Bexleyheath, Kent in the United Kingdom. She came to the United States when she was 6 and grew up in Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, Long Island.

After a family move in 1946, she graduated from Upper Darby High School in Pennsylvania in 1948.  She graduated from Keuka College in 1952 with a bachelor of arts degree in English and journalism, and started work in New York City, where she became publicity director for publisher David McKay. Following an extended trip to Europe, she worked as the copywriter for J.B. Lippincott in Philadelphia.

It was there that she met Donald Stauffer. They married in 1957 and their marriage lasted for 60 years, the union ending only with her death.

“It was a good marriage,” said Mr. Stauffer. “She was a very warm person. She attracted people. People loved her and she loved people … I was kind of shy. She was outgoing. She helped me come out of my shell.”

After the Stauffers married, they lived in Bloomington, Indiana, for three years while Mr. Stauffer completed a Ph.D. in English. Their twin sons, Andy and Doug, were born there. The family then moved to Williamstown, Massachusetts, where Mr. Stauffer taught at Williams College. In 1962, John Donald was born there.

In 1964, Mr. Stauffer joined the English Department at the newly expanded University at Albany.  The family settled in Altamont, where Mrs. Stauffer would live for nearly 50 years.

A tragic accident took the life of John Donald in 1966. In 1967, the family adopted their daughter, Margaret.

“She was a very serious, conscientious mother,” said Mr. Stauffer. “She was a room mother at the Altamont school and active in the PTA. She was very involved with St. John’s Church and taught Sunday school there for years. To this day, people would come up to her and say they remembered her from teaching Sunday school.”

After living for the year 1972 in Cambridge, England, Mrs. Stauffer, always an active volunteer, was asked to head up a committee to plan for the opening in Altamont of a community residence for mentally-handicapped adults. She was appointed the first director of Helderberg House and worked there until she became director of residential services at the Schoharie ARC.

“She was part of an exploratory committee to establish a group home in Altamont,” said Mr. Stauffer. “They found the house; it was right down the street from us on Main Street. She got very interested in developmentally disabled people. She loved them.”

He recalled how it was not unusual for the home’s residents to seek out Mrs. Stauffer. “If they wanted to see her, they’d just walk down the street and knock on our front door,” he said.

Also in the 1970s, Mrs. Stauffer was active in a group that went by the acronym FACT, involved in building bridges between Altamont and the inner city. Mrs. Stauffer had a good voice and enjoyed singing in major choirs: Dessoff Choirs in New York, Cathedral Choral Society in Washington, Capitol Hill Choral Society, Octavo Singers, and Jubilate Singers.

In Altamont, her husband said, “She put together the October Sing in the village park.” The money raised from the October Sing went to FACT for inner-city programs.

In 1981, Mrs. Stauffer and Margaret accompanied Mr. Stauffer to Beijing University when he was invited to teach there. She was employed to teach composition and conversation to sophomores, which was a life-changing experience for her.

She formed a deep and lasting bond with her students and remained in touch with many of them all her life. She developed a deep love for China, returning as a tour leader and visitor several times and reading as much about the country as she could.

“We sponsored one of her students,” said Mr. Stauffer. “She came over to live in the United States.”

Mrs. Stauffer also experienced a spiritual awakening, becoming an evangelical Christian and an active member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, serving in several ministries and teaching Bible studies. She served on the Board of Our Savior’s Lutheran School for several years.

She and her husband visited many countries and traveled on the mainland and islands of Scotland numerous times. They took regular vacations, spending summers on Martha’s Vineyard and winters in St. Kitts.

“She loved the Lord, her family and friends, church, music, literature, and good food,” her family wrote.

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Morag Marjorie Stuart Kennedy Stauffer is survived by Donald Stauffer, her beloved husband of 60 years; by her sons, Andrew Stauffer and Isabel and Douglas Stauffer; by her daughter, Margaret Spoonogle; by her grandchildren, Christopher and Kelly Spoonogle; and, lastly, by her dear dear friend of nearly 70 years, Shirl Fay.

Her siblings —  Janet Ailsa, Jean Margaret, Bob, David, and John — died before her as did her premature infant son and her 4-year-old son, John Donald.

The family thanks the staff of Teresian House for their loving care and many kindnesses and sends “special thanks to her dear friends KK and Jaquelle.”

Calling hours will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Avila Retirement Community at 100 White Pine Dr. in Albany.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 1:15 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at 63 Mountain View Ave. in Albany. A private burial will be held at the convenience of the family at Guilderland Cemetery in Guilderland.

Mourners may leave condolences at NewComerAlbany.com.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Our Savior’s Lutheran School, 63 Mountain View Avenue, Albany, NY, 12205 or to the City Mission of Schenectady, 425 Hamilton Street, Schenectady, 12305.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer

Updated on Oct. 25, 2017: Information on calling hours was added.