Margaret Safford

Margaret Nancy Safford passed away peacefully on Monday, July 24, 2023. Margaret Nancy Safford was born in Columbus, Ohio on January 22, 1929, to Robert Fulton Redman and Thema Beatrice Chase Redman, the second of six children. Graduating from East High School at sixteen, she continued to blaze trails in Columbus as she became the first Black telephone operator for Ohio Bell. Margaret enjoyed a long successful career at Ohio Bell until 1985, when she retired. While she continued to achieve in the workforce, she married her lifetime partner, Boyce Safford II on June 11, 1959. They soon welcomed their only son, Boyce Safford III. The couple’s love thrived for over thirty-eight years and will continue to live on.

During her wonderful time on this side of heaven, Nancy, the name used by her family and close friends, was an avid reader, enjoyed cooking, social events, and T.V. time with her grandchildren. She especially loved when her grandchildren, who fondly called her Gaga, would join her after school to indulge in these activities; spending time in the kitchen and making snacks to prepare for reruns. Nancy also had a passion for poetry. She valued education and the need to understand and learn history. Her favorite author was James Baldwin, she would often quote his work, along with many other literary greats to her grandchildren. She had a plethora of books in her home, many of them filled with and poetry, because of this her son and grandchildren, learned and valued this same lesson. Nancy also shared her passion for reading by tutoring children at the local library.

Spending time with Nancy, you learned more than one could ever know. From her wisdom to her wit, her kind heart, everyone who encountered her was blown away. She was never one to shy away from a joke and her sense of humor always remained with her.

Nancy’s favorite pastime of all was spending time with her family. She cherished her relationships with her siblings, her son, grandchildren, and extended family. From attending cookouts and eating her sister’s famous zucchini bread, to driving to Atlanta to visit her son at Morehouse, to attending her granddaughter’s middle school choir concerts, and watching her grandson at all his basketball games, she enjoyed it all.

Margaret is preceded in death by her husband, Boyce Safford II, father, Robert Fulton Redman, mother Thelma Beatrice Chase Redman, brothers Robert (Betty) Redman, Gordon (Freda) Redman, and Paul (Betty) Redman, along with brothers-in-law Randolph Safford Sr., Robert Safford and Herbert Safford.

Margaret is survived by son Boyce Safford III, sisters Judith Pinkins and Janet Vinson,

grandchildren Morgan Boyce Safford and Mackenzie Chase Safford, sister-in-law Betty Redman, nephews Randolph Safford Jr., Kevin Redman, Paul Redman Jr., Eric Redman, Mark Redman, Jason Vinson, niece Stacy Vinson, and a host of other family and friends.