Margo Garrett Wickham

Margo Garrett Wickham, 81, of Prince George County, VA, passed away peacefully Easter night at her home. She is survived by her loving husband, Sommerville Wickham, Jr.; her daughter, Kathy Williams (Jim); son, Russell Norment (Margie); grandchildren, Andrew Williams (Kaile), Rachel McPherson (Logan), and Taylor Norment; one great-granddaughter, Mallory Williams; and a number of loving cousins. She was predeceased by her loving parents: mother, Bertha Gormus Garrett, and father, Holland Perkins Garrett.

Margo grew up in Hanover County where she graduated in 1962 from Lee-Davis High School. There she excelled in both academics and athletics. Everyone who knew Margo described her as smart, talented and completely devoted to any project she would undertake.

Margo would take this same tenacity into her adult life as she had a long career in Tupperware. Tupperware opportunities took her and her family to Lakeland, Florida in 1975 and then to Roanoke, Virginia in 1983. She and her husband, Ed, managed successful Tupperware distributorships in both cities. By 1990, with both of their children now adults, they decided to retire from Tupperware and move back to Mechanicsville, VA, which would give Margo an opportunity to spend more time with her beloved but now aging father. Soon after, Margo decided to become a realtor. Immediately, she became very successful in this pursuit.

In 1994, she became known to her loved ones as "Grannimarr." She loved being a grandparent and rarely missed a birthday or performance for Andrew, Rachel and Taylor. In 1997, she married Sommerville "Sommer" Wickham, Jr. and their life together began.

With his lifelong interest in history, a business was created. Though history had not been one of her favorite subjects in earlier life, Margo quickly gained a love for it after seeing Sommer's enthusiasm. Together, they built one of the most successful historical research companies in America, concentrating on Virginia, and also including all of Americana. They delivered "special collections" to the major universities in Virginia, The Virginia Museum of History and Culture and to The Library of Virginia, as well as many other public repositories and private collectors. In 2018, just before he passed away, the Virginia scholar, E. Lee Shepard, who dubbed Sommerville "Virginia's history detective," said these two have found, saved, and delivered more letters, photographs, books, and art to Virginia repositories than anyone ever in Virginia history. Even while courageously battling dementia the last 4 years, she continued to be involved in the historical research and was proud to be by Sommerville's side saving history for others to enjoy.

The family will hold a private graveside service in May.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Library of Virginia Foundation in memory of Margo Garrett Wickham would be appreciated.
Library of Virginia Foundation
800 East Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219.
www.lvafoundation.org