Margaret Linton

Margaret Keszler Linton, 91, of Kingsville, Texas passed away on June 5, 2025 surrounded by her loved ones. She is survived by husband Bob, children Melaney Linton and Layne Linton, daughter-in-law Maricia Linton, grandchildren, Bryce Montgomery Smith and Keegan Brooks Linton, sisters Elsie Stafford and Darlene Walton, extended family members Whitney Smith-Bogardus and Jim Bogardus, and many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. She was pre-deceased by her parents and brothers Dr. Bernie Keszler, Robert Lee Keszler, and James Keszler.

Margaret was born in West Columbia, Texas to Millie Mae and Edward Keszler on July 17, 1933. By the age of 9, she was tending to younger siblings and cooking for the family while her mother worked the farm alongside her father. Thus began one of the great themes of Margaret’s life, caring for family. She graduated from Lolita High School in 1950 at the age of sixteen and shortly afterwards moved to Houston with friends to work as a long-distance telephone operator at Southwestern Bell. However, the big city did not suit her and the following year she moved back to Palacios to start work at Alcoa and be close to family.

In 1951 she met the great love of her life, Robert (Bob) Linton. They met when Margaret’s cousin picked Bob up in his car, introduced him to Margaret, and told him he should kiss her. Bob had to work pretty hard to earn that first kiss, but eventually he did, and they married in September, 1953 at First Baptist Church in Palacios. Bob got a job with Sun Oil Company in 1954. The newlyweds lived in Palacios until Bob was drafted into the Army in 1957 and the couple moved to Georgia after basic training. After Bob was deployed to Korea, Margaret moved back to Palacios to help care for her younger siblings following the untimely death of her mother.

After Bob returned to the States, he continued his employment with Sun Oil Company and they took the first of many company transfers, first to Thibodaux and then to Morgan City, LA. In 1962, the young family, which now included daughter Melaney, moved back to Texas, living for a time at Sun Field Camp in Delmita. In 1964, they moved to a rural farmhouse outside Edinburg and Margaret went to work at Pan American University. She loved working with the students there. They lived there until shortly after Layne was born in 1967. The growing family bought their first home in McAllen and settled there for the next 16 years. Margaret worked for several years at an employment agency, first as Receptionist/Secretary and then as an Employment Counselor.

After several successful years there, she took a job at a home furnishings store as an interior decorator. It was there her interest in real estate was sparked. After earning her real estate license, she worked as a Realtor at a Century 21 office where she spent many very successful, award-winning years.

In 1982, Margaret and Bob took a transfer to Seguin, realizing their dream of building a home on the Guadalupe River. Margaret designed the house with the help of a local architect, and when she couldn’t find a General Contractor that suited her, she did it herself, hiring all the subs and supervising the work. After completing their dream home, Margaret again returned to real estate and then surprised everyone when she decided to buy a thriving antique and clothing consignment store in downtown Seguin, enlisting Layne and Bob for the heavy lifting. Ultimately, she sold the store and left Seguin when Bob was transferred to Kingsville in 1986.

In Kingsville, Margaret went to work for Texas A&M University, in the Industrial Engineering Department, operating a typesetting machine to produce all of the university’s major printing jobs. After several years at the University, Margaret returned to real estate, a vocation in which she continued to excel until her retirement in 2020.

Margaret will be remembered as a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, not just to her own family members, but to those young families she adopted as her own along the way. Nothing gave her more pleasure than being enveloped by family. She was an excellent cook (widely known for her amazing apple pies and cinnamon rolls), seamstress, embroiderer, and wallpaper hanger. She was beautiful, always looked at least ten years younger than she was, and never left the house without her makeup and hair done. She held tightly to her Faith and was a celebrated member of Baptist church choirs wherever she lived. A loving and generous person, she did not suffer fools: woe to the contractor who didn’t install an appliance right the first time! A final note, Margaret loved babies, all babies, and she had room in her heart for all of them.

Services for Margaret will be held at First Baptist Church in Kingsville, Texas, on Saturday, June 14, 2025, with the visitation taking place at 12pm and the funeral service at 1pm.