As a Devoted Wife, Mother, Educator, Leader and Supporter of Civil Rights Advocacy, Soror

March 30, 2011

Dear Sorors:

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Soror Margaret Muse Johnson Piper. Soror Piper died on March 18 at Heatherwood Senior Living Center in Detroit. I had the pleasure of celebrating Soror Piper’s 105th birthday with her on April 25, 2010. It was an honor to witness the love she so graciously and selflessly gave to her family and community, for over a century, returned to her tenfold.

As a devoted wife, mother, educator, leader and supporter of civil rights advocacy, Soror Piper remained dedicated to the ideas and principles of the Sorority. Soror Piper was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1930 through Tau Chapter at Wayne State University in Detroit. She served as the 9th president of Detroit Alumnae Chapter (1953-1955) and later served as the 12th Midwest regional director (1955-1959). During her tenure as chapter president, Soror Piper spearheaded activities for the Delta Home for Girls, a home for young girls of color within Michigan’s foster care system. As a regional director, she worked tirelessly towards ending segregation on local and national levels. She was recently recognized in the Winter 2011 issue of the DELTA Journal as being one of the oldest living Deltas in the country, if not the oldest.

Soror Piper retired in 1967 after 30 years of educating the youth in Detroit Public Schools. Soror Piper’s other activities and affiliations included: serving as a board member of the Lucy Thurman YWCA and Phyllis Wheatley Home for Girls; member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Detroit Institute of Arts, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; and a life member of the NAACP.

The members of Delta Sigma Theta mourn the loss of a servant of the community and one of Delta’s most dedicated leaders. Her gentle and giving spirit has made a difference in the lives of so many people. She has truly created a legacy of love, leadership and public service that continues to inspire and add to the rich history of our illustrious sisterhood. Please keep her family in your prayers.

With a Servants Heart,

Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre

National President