Margaret Mae French

Our beloved mother, Margaret Mae Hickey French, passed away in her 90^th year last Thursday, March 28, 2024 surrounded by her family. Born July 2,1934 in Fort Benning, GA to Maedelle & Colonial Albert Hickey.  Several years after the passing of Maedelle, Albert remarried Louise (Weese) Mattingly who lovingly accepted Margaret as her cherished step daughter.  Margaret enjoyed a life filled with travel, educational & career pursuits. Her hobbies were art, reading, listening to classical music, & attending live performances. Margaret also enjoyed studying different forms of spirituality in various cultures.

Margaret spent her early years living in Vine Grove & Louisville, Ky. In high school, she attended the Holton-Arms School for Girls in Washington, DC. Margaret’s college years, of which she often fondly spoke, were spent at Barnard/Columbia University in New York City.

Margaret believed in a culture of fairness in our world & as a part of that attended both feminist and anti-racist events to show her support. She was present at many Freidan & Steinham salons, as well as a participant in Martin Luther King’s, March on Washington.

Margaret worked as an analyst for PRC & Booze Allen. After that, Margaret went to work for the Department of the Navy where she worked on some of the first computers. Later in her career, Margaret went to Germany to work for the Department of the Amy in the Department of Defense’s Operation Desert Storm Campaign as a support to the families whose spouses were deployed.

Margaret raised four children in McLean, Virginia – Albert (Laurie), Carter (Amy), Kathy  (John) & Jenny. Margaret has left behind 12 loving grandchildren, Neil, Nathan, Brittany, Kelsey, Shelby, McKenna, Ashley, Kendall, Ben, Triton, Grace, & Quinton.

We lovingly remember the effort Margaret put into teaching us about the importance of being a part of politics, getting involved in hobbies that interest us, being curious in all we learn, and to enjoy peoples & cultures all over the world. Both her zeal for life & her interest in current events & being involved in the voting process was of great importance to Margaret.

After retirement, Margaret relocated to Alexandria, VA and attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where she was an active member of both the vestry & book club. She also volunteered for the American Red Cross’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a program to address FEMA related emergency prep issues within her community.

Margaret will be greatly missed by her family & friends.