Margaret M Wimberly

Margaret Mackie Wimberly was born on February 14th, 1959, in Augusta, Georgia, the fourth child of Osborne Sentman Mackie, of Fair Hill, Maryland, and Katharine Phinizy Mackie of Augusta, Georgia. Margaret and her family lived next door to her beloved maternal grandparents, Dr. Irvine Phinizy, an internal medicine doctor and ornithologist, and Katharine “Kitty” Hagler Phinizy, in the Summerville District of Augusta. Margaret and her siblings, Osborne, Kitty, and Franklin, would have undoubtedly had a lovely childhood in Augusta, surrounded by their Phinizy and Hagler cousins, many of whom were close in age. But fate had an exciting surprise in store for the Mackie children: their father, who worked for the DuPont Company, was transferred to Dordrecht, Holland, in December 1962. Thus, the Mackie family bade farewell to the warm Augusta winter, took the train to New York, and set sail for Holland. Margaret, who was only three years old, was the first to adapt to her new life—she quickly learned to speak Dutch and could be seen ice skating for miles through the frozen canals of the old city. Life in Europe was exciting for the Mackie children, as they spent their holidays traveling across the continent, with frequent stays in France and Scotland. They loved to visit historic sites, explore new landscapes, and try culinary delights across Europe. In 1967, Margaret’s father was transferred to Londonderry, Ireland, where they particularly loved the wild coast. This time was formative for Margaret, as it instilled in her an early sense of adventure, a love of art, an appreciation for fine food, and an easy ability to make friends in faraway places.

In 1977, Margaret began her freshman year at the University of Georgia, where she majored in Art History. It was an exciting time to be at the University of Georgia, as Georgia would win the national football championship in 1980. But, for young Margaret, it was an English literature class that would prove to be the most exciting, as that is where she met the love of her life, Clayton Boardman Wimberly. Margaret and Clayton were married in Beech Island, South Carolina on June 6th, 1986. In 1990, Clayton and Margaret moved to Rome, Georgia, where Clayton would work a long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist. They had two sons, Phinizy and Clay, who were the pride of their lives. Margaret instilled in her sons a love of travel and family, and often sought opportunities to combine the two. The Wimberly family often joined family vacations with Margaret’s mother, siblings, and their children in Isle of Palms, South Carolina and Tybee Island, Georgia. The Wimberly’s often visited their Mackie relatives on their ancestral farmland in Fair Hill, Maryland, and attended Phinizy family reunions and lectures in the Mississippi River Delta, Louisville, New Orleans, Athens and Augusta. Margaret loved these lectures, as she was a member of the Colonial Dames and was proud of her early American and Southern lineage on both sides of her family. Margaret was the perfect example of a beautiful Southern Belle, but she also loved to hike, camp, and shone in situations that required adaptability and a little bit of grit. In addition to living in Europe, Margaret traveled to the far corners of the earth with her husband, sons, and even at times alone, to see the wonders of Japan, India, Nepal, Turkey, Belize, Argentina, and the Galapagos Islands.

Margaret sang and played the piano beautifully, and for many years was an active member in the choir at First Christian Church-Disciples of Christ, in Rome, Georgia, and often filled in as the church pianist. She enjoyed leading her children, siblings, nieces and nephew in songs on family trips and holidays and would not hesitate to correct those who were terribly out of tune. Margaret was a passionate advocate for animal rights, and in 2011 she co-founded the Animal Rescue Foundation Rome Floyd. Throughout her life, Margaret worked tirelessly to find homes for animals through her extensive networks up and down the East Coast. She was generous, thoughtful, playful, brave, a lifelong learner, and a woman of God.

Margaret died of heart failure in her home in Rome, Georgia on March 24th. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Clayton Boardman Wimberly; her sons, Thomas Phinizy Wimberly and Clayton Boardman Wimberly Jr.; her siblings, Osborne Phinizy Mackie, Katharine Church Mackie, and their spouses and children; and the children of her late brother Franklin Richard Mackie.