Margaret Hartman Reilly was born in 1922 in Philadelphia PA, moving with her family south to Charleston SC in her teenage years. After High School, she entered the nursing program at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, graduating as a registered nurse and later, moved to Atlanta GA, where she met & married her lifelong sweetheart of 59 years, John Francis Reilly, a World War II soldier.
Margaret lived a life filled to the brim. She and John had five children and also opened their hearts and lives to three foster children. A nurse by profession, Margaret gathered and served – administering shots and medical advice to neighbors, working in her parish alongside her priest, Monsignor Dolan at St. Pius X Church, caring for her parents long distance & other extended family, and keeping her door always open to family and friends.
Adventurous and determined to give her kids the gift of travel and the outdoors, she & John learned the basics of tent camping, packed all the supplies and food for a week at a time and headed off with their large brood and often some add-ons to the beach or to the mountains. She was tireless, even going back to work full time when her children were grown, becoming the industrial nurse at Proctor & Gamble until she was 72, a friend and champion to many. Margaret’s Catholic faith was always an integral part of her life, and her relationship with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ would grow and blossom as the years passed.
Margaret’s grandkids were her pride and delight and she would drop anything to take care of them. Spontaneity and all manner of creative celebration were the norm at “mom-moms”.
Even after the death of her beloved John in 2003 and facing mounting health challenges, she remained cheerful and determined. Slowness of body only enhanced an inner vitality of spirit. Her family, friends, health care workers, all that she encountered were touched by her warmth, humor and insightfulness.
Margaret’s keen interest in people and her embrace of all equally, a hallmark throughout her life, made her a favorite at Brookdale Lawndale Park assisted living community where she has lived happily for the last four and a half years.
By the example of her long and dedicated life, she taught her children that to love God and love others were the two most important things and that legacy is being passed down today through the generations to her 14 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Her loving children, Sarah Crawford, Peggy Smith, Jacky Hanner, John Reilly, Ann Reilly and their spouses, all her grands & great grands will miss her dearly.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, September 16, 2021, in the chapel at Hanes Lineberry Funeral Home, 515 North Elm Street. Interment will follow at Westminster Gardens Cemetery, 3601 Whitehurst Road.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Margaret’s memory to Freedom House, PO Box 38125, Greensboro, NC 27438, helpfreedomhouse.org.
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