Margaret Davis was born in Mechanicsburg, Pa on July 30, 1912. Her parents, John Adam Davis and Mae Williams, raised her in a Presbyterian home in the same city that she was born in. She attended Mechanicsburg High School and continued her education at Dickinson College. She was an active member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority among other clubs. She graduated in 1934 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. After graduation she married Michael F. O'Keefe. The couple stayed in Mechanicsburg, Pa.