Margaret (Davis) Waldron

Margaret Davis Waldron, 95, passed away on March 25 in St Petersburg, Florida, where she was visiting family and playing golf. Margie, as she was known, was the driving force behind the creation and success of Buffalo Golf Course in Sarver, Pennsylvania. Born in 1929 to Ellen (neé Donaldson) and Frank Davis in Wilkinsburg, Margie and her family soon moved to rural Middlesex Township. She graduated in 1950 from The University of Pittsburgh with degrees in chemistry and physics. In 1953 she married Harold, “Harry,” Waldron, who she met through her friendship with his sister Esther, the only other woman in the Pitt undergraduate chemistry program their year. After graduation Margie worked for and was eventually promoted to lab manager at the Koppers Company. She held two patents from her work as a research chemist. In 1958 she and Harry purchased land in Monroeville and designed and built a pitch-and-putt golf course, Fore Acres. In 1961 their first child, Maggie, was born, and in 1964, after selling Fore Acres, they took toddler Maggie to Sarver, where they purchased a dairy farm and started the work of designing and building a regulation-sized golf course. In 1964 Laura was born; family lore says Margie went into labor after being on a tractor all day. In November 1966 Ken was born and in 1967 the first nine holes of Buffalo Golf Course opened to the public; Margie was always able to juggle motherhood and run a demanding business. And by 1968 all 18 holes were completed. Buffalo Golf Course became the family business and its smooth running has continued into the second generation, as Maggie and Ken now manage the operation. Up until her last days, Margie was interested and involved in discussions about day- to-day decisions and long-term strategies. We will remember our mother’s intelligence, determination, feisty spirit, her love of animals and family history, her irreverent sense of humor, and, of course, her passion for being out on the links. In the summer of 2024 she was still playing in two golf leagues. Margie was predeceased by Harry in 2003. She is survived by her three children: Maggie Waldron; Laura Waldron (Bruce Franklin); Kenneth Waldron (Shannon), grandchildren Andrew, Steven, and Alaina Vento; India and Henry Franklin; Rachael, Rebecca, and Julia Waldron; and four great-grandchildren, as well as nephew Frank Jakes (Wendy) and niece Jean Jakes. Friends will be received on Friday, April 18, 2025 from 4-7 pm and on Saturday, April 19, 2025 from 11 am - 2 pm at the Redmond Funeral Home, Inc., 524 High Street, Freeport. Private interment will be held at the Middlesex Methodist Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations in her memory be made to Orphans of the Storm in Kittanning.

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