Obituaries : * Margaree Klein; Author, Political Activist

Margaree Klein, a San Fernando Valley author and political activist, died Sunday at Encino Hospital after suffering a heart attack. She was 75.

Born Margaree Bornstein in St. Louis on Nov. 1, 1917, she became active in Missouri politics after graduating from the Julliard School of Music. Mrs. Klein was a Democrat Party committeewoman for Missouri, serving as a delegate for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Mrs. Klein moved to California with her husband, Dudley, in 1968, living in Sherman Oaks for a short time before moving to Encino, where she remained until her death.

Upon her arrival, she became active in California politics, working as a political consultant until 1971, when she was named executive director of the Committee Investigating Valley Independent City/County (CIVICC), a San Fernando Valley separatist movement.

In 1979, Mrs. Klein became press deputy for Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, a job that led to her being named executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of Drug Abuse Resource Education.

While immersed in politics for much of the past several decades, her passion for cooking led to the publication of “The Happy Cooker” in 1976. Her second book, “How To Be a Successful and Sexy Widow,” was published in 1991.

Mrs. Klein was preceded in death by her husband, Dudley, who died in 1981. She is survived by a son, Larry Michael Klein of Napa, and a grandson, Dennis Klein of Los Angeles.

No services are planned.