Margaret Bachman Mateer

Margaret Bachman Mateer, a devoted daughter and mother, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at the age of 97. Marge was born on September 7, 1927, in Reading, Pa to loving parents Theresa and Carl Bachman. After moving to Lancaster as a young girl, she attended Millersville Model School which eventually became Penn Manor, and spent her summers swimming in the lake at Browns Mills, NJ with her cousins. Marge’s father died of tuberculosis when she was twelve years old, and her life changed. She contracted the disease when she was fifteen and was sent to South Mountain Sanitorium for several years. Her mother, her only visitor, had to take the three-hour bus ride from Lancaster to see her. After recovering, Marge attended Lancaster Business School where she met the love of her life, Bill Mateer. They married on October 28, 1950, and shared 48 years together in Landisville before his death in 1998. While raising their two daughters, Marge had several part-time jobs, most notably as a receptionist for Diller/Hershey Real Estate. When her youngest daughter started college, she took on a full-time position at Lancaster Office of Aging which she came to love and excel at until she retired at age 86. A devout Catholic, Marge was a member of St. Leo’s Catholic Church. She enjoyed playing cards, sewing, airplanes and traveling, meeting with friends and animals, and baking pies. She also loved spending time with her family and keeping up with her grandchildren’s activities. Her deep commitment to helping others was evident in her many volunteer roles with Hospice of Lancaster County, as President of the Ostomy Club and friendly visitor, and as a volunteer at the Fulton Opera House. Marge will be missed by her two daughters, Jody Benfer (Richard) and Jane Hansen (Keith), her four grandchildren, Justin and Shane, Whitney (Brad), and Courtney (Christopher), and her five great-grandchildren, Alex, Taylor, Evan, Blake, and Luke. In keeping with her generous spirit, Marge requested that her body be donated to science. While no formal services will be held, the family invites all who knew Marge—or are inspired by her story—to honor her memory with a random act of kindness for someone. Even the smallest gesture matters.