Margaret Scariano

June 23, 2013 12:00 am(0) CommentsMISSOULA – Margaret M. Scariano, 89, passed away from natural causes on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.

Mrs. Scariano was born March 19, 1924, on Sunday Creek in Custer County to Austin B. and Lucille Burt Middleton. Shortly after her birth her parents moved to Deer Lodge, where Mr. Middleton served as the warden of the Montana State Penitentiary.

She was educated in Deer Lodge and also attended Helena High School and Stephens College. She was a University of Montana student prior to her marriage to Dr. Richard Ross in l942.

During the early years of her marriage she lived throughout the West and in 1951 she returned to Montana and resided in Butte with her three young sons.

She married Franklin A. Scariano, the manager of Butte GMAC, on Sept. 3, 1954. Throughout their married life they lived primarily in northern California.

Mrs. Scariano finished her B.A. at Fresno State and received a master's degree in English from Illinois State University. She taught "Writing to Sell" at Indian Valley College in Novato, Calif.

Margaret Scariano published over 18 books for a variety of age levels, including high-action novels for teenage readers with lower reading levels, young adult non-fiction books, a young adult romance novel, an adult gothic romance novel and "Emergence: Labeled Autistic with Temple Grandin," which was one of the books on which the HBO movie "The Temple Grandin Story" was based. While in California she was active in the Friends of the Library and the Redwood Writers Club as well as PEO. In recent years she lived in Mill Creek, Wash., as well as in Missoula. She continued her love of reading and writing into her later years and thoroughly enjoyed her book club in Missoula.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Franklin A. Scariano; an infant daughter, Diane Marie Ross; her parents and siblings, Joann M. Smith and (Ret) Lt. Col. Austin B. Middleton, Jr.

She is survived by her children, Richard Scariano (Marion), Gresham, Ore., their children, Ryan and Renee; Ralph Scariano (Linda) of Albany, Ore., their children, Jeff and Chris; Ronald Scariano (Susan) of Billings, their children, Samantha and Tina; Lisa Frahm (Bill) of Mill Creek, their children, Ellie, Erica and Will; and Frank Scariano (Kelly) of Missoula, their children, Dominic, Lucca, Tazio and Tomas as well as seven great-grandchildren; her sister, Mrs. H.O. (Tomme Lu) Worden of Missoula and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services are scheduled for 1 p.m. on July 2 at Holy Spirit Parish, 216 S. Sixth E. Private interment will be at the Missoula City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Missoula YMCA, Boy Scouts of America or the American Cancer Society.

Read Margaret Scariano's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.