Margaret Elizabeth Summers passed away on March 25, 2026, after a lengthy hospital stay at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 6, 1940, to parents Margaret and Frederick Smith. Margaret was born into a large family and was the 7th of 12 children. At the early age of 16, she married the love of her life, Carl Summers. After they married, they moved to Carl's hometown of Clinton, Tennessee, where they raised their family on a 53-acre farm. Although she always said that Carl could "take the girl out of the city, but not the city out of the girl," she excelled as a farmer's wife, working tobacco, gardens, canning, and all! At the end of a hard day of work on the farm, she always had a delicious, hearty, country meal to feed Carl and their hungry boys. Margaret and Carl were married for 49 years before Carl passed at the age of 67.

Margaret worked for 23 years with Carl at their family business, Summers Monument Company. Over the years, Margaret had many hobbies, including reading, growing beautiful flowers, macrame, crocheting, quilting, ceramics, and collecting dolls. She loved watching old Classic Movies and British Mysteries. Margaret's most favorite past time was spending time with her only grandchild.

Margaret and Carl were members of Clinch River Baptist Church for many years. In 1978, they moved their membership to Laurel Branch Baptist Church, where they enjoyed worshiping and spending time with their many friends.

Margaret is survived by her two sons; Bryan Summers of Clinton, and James Summers (Robin) of Oak Ridge; her beloved grandson, Brad Summers (Julianne) of Decatur, Georgia. The newest love of her life has been her almost-5-year-old great-granddaughter, Madeline Summers, also of Decatur. In addition, she is survived by two of her siblings – Bobby Smith and Joyce Sawyer, both of Maryland, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins from Tennessee, California, and Maryland. She has left behind many dear friends, and her "adopted" son, David Crenshaw of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and "adopted" granddaughter, Eternity Perry of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The family would like to thank all of Methodist Medical Center for their expertise and loving care. There are too many names to mention, but thanks and appreciation go to the ICU staff, the 3rd Floor West staff (who cared for her for 3+ weeks), the ICVU staff, the 5th Floor West staff, the 4th Floor West staff,  the Palliative Care group, the Hospice staff (who kept her comfortable), all the doctors (there were many) who worked hard to help her fight her fight, the case workers, social workers, and house keepers. Every single person made a hard experience easier. Her family felt the love and care, not only given to Margaret, but to us as well. We will be forever grateful.

Receiving of Friends will be on Friday, April 3, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at Holley Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton, with the funeral following. The graveside service will be on Saturday at 11:00 am at Grand View Memorial Garden. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (stjude.org). Holley Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton is in charge of all arrangements.  Holleygamble.com