Margaret Whelan Williams

Margaret Whelan Williams, 84, passed away September 17, 2021 in Alexandria, VA. Born in Washington D.C. on October 9, 1936 to Dr. Carl Joseph Whelan and Rozelle McKinnon Whelan, Mickie graduated from Western High School in 1954 and received a B.S. in Education from the University of Virginia in 1958. Mickie married her high school sweetheart, J. Barrie Williams, after his 1958 graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Together they began an Army life that would take them from Fort Bragg to Fort Lawton, Bangkok to Munich, Fort Riley, Fort Monroe and many Army communities in between. They retired to Williamsburg in 1989.

Mickie embraced life in Williamsburg. She enjoyed introducing middle-schoolers to living history at the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown American Revolution Museum. Always a gifted artist, Mickie entered the fine arts program at the College of William and Mary, refining her watercolor skills and discovering a love of the art and science of ceramics. She delighted in the company of her fellow potters and loved the thrill of opening a fresh kiln with other students in the pot shop. In her later years, Mickie returned to the Washington, D.C. area to live with her daughter.

Mickie and Barrie raised four adoring children: Meg Williams of Alexandria, VA; Mattille W. Sherwood (Bill) of Potomac Falls, VA; Thomas B. Williams (deceased); and Stephen W. Williams (Tammy) of Williamsburg. Mickie was immensely proud of her seven talented and kind grandchildren: Grace, Jessica, Josephine, Madeline, Phillip, Sierra, and Wyatt and thrilled to have been blessed with three great-grandchildren: Evelynn, Harrison, and Lily. Over the many years and houses, Mickie made a home that welcomed other young people, now fine adults, who loved her as well.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her honor to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, P.O. Box 1607, Williamsburg, VA 23187-1607, www.historyisfun.org/donate/donate-online/. Mickie will be buried alongside Barrie in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.