Margaret Fields Richardson of Reston, Virginia passed away peacefully in her cozy apartment at Morningside House of Leesburg on December 4, 2016. She was 96 years old. Margaret's grace, strength, warm smiles and sparkling blue eyes filled the hearts of those around her. She was much loved and her presence is missed dearly by her family and friends. We take comfort from the idea that her spirit can now be reunited with her beloved husband, Malcolm Richardson, who left this earth 10 years earlier.

Margaret was born in Claxton, Georgia to Lessie Collins Fields and John Fields on November 20, 1920. Coming into the world in the year that American women were granted the right to vote was very fitting for Margaret as she was a highly independent, adventurous, can-do, free-thinking spirit who wasn't afraid to forge her own path.

A lifelong learner, Margaret attended Southern Business University in Miami, Florida; night school in Iran (learning Persian); Oceanside-Carlsbad Junior College in California (learning Russian and Spanish); George Washington University (for Journalism) and Catholic University in Washington, D.C. (for Fine Arts); and Northern Virginia Community College (Art History).

Near the end of World War II, Margaret worked for Pan American Airways in Miami, Florida assisting the Chief Airways Engineer in the Airport Development Program which was involved in building 27 airports throughout Latin America. She was later employed by National Airlines as an Executive Secretary. Margaret's administrative jobs did not tie her down and she chose to stretch her wings by attending the Commercial Pilot Ground School at the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation in Miami, Florida. There she earned her Private Pilot's License in 1946.

As a small plane pilot, Margaret was flying routinely with the Aero Club, a group of private plane enthusiasts whose goal it is to promote and improve aviation throughout the country. The group made monthly group flights to various cities in the region to demonstrate the safety of small plane flight and to meet with other like-minded people who wanted to start their own local Aero Club Chapter. On one of the flights from Panama City to DeFuniak Springs, Margaret chose to bring the mascot of the City Air Park, a terrier named "T-Craft" (after Taylorcraft the plane maker) as a passenger; and she said T-craft enjoyed the trip immensely!

Margaret joined the United States Air Force Civil Air Patrol flying a piper cub through 1952. She also was a member of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots, led at one time by Amelia Earhart. The Ninety-nines exist to this day and promote the advancement of women in aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support.

Her most memorable flight was part of Mexico's Columbus Day celebrations in 1946 (and it deserves significant space in this life story). The adventure began with Mexico inviting private pilots from the U.S. to fly to Mexico City as a good will gesture between the two countries. The U.S. pilots were very enthused and thousands were expected to participate; however, bad weather ended up grounding many, forcing them to give up their plans.

Margaret managed to fly out of Panama City, Florida ahead of the approaching hurricane and met up with her pilot friend Margaret Calloway in Pensacola. Ms. Calloway procuredg a brand new Taylorcraft light (fabric-covered) plane for the trip and was equipped with 3 fuel tanks (two under the wings). This light plane was chosen to demonstrate that it could make such a long flight and would fare well in the high altitudes found on the route, including the high elevation take off in Mexico City. Only three of these planes were flown as part of the mass flight, and the two Margarets were the only women flying this type of plane.

While in the air, they chronicled their experience by taking still pictures and motion film. As they stopped in various towns along the way, the dynamic duo met many interesting characters, went to bull fights, saw the sights, enjoyed the local cuisine and loved dancing to the music. The ladies received small mementos as gifts including an adeptly named perfume called "Night Flight" from a research chemist acquaintance.

The adventurous pair needed to use remote airfields at times. On one occasion, they had a bumpy landing on a primitive air strip that was more like a plowed field. There they were immediately surrounded by indigenous peoples who were very curious about the women and the plane, trying to touch and poke at its fabric wings. After difficult refueling logistics, the women came to the conclusion that the soft ground would not bode well for a safe takeoff; it was time to improvise. They found a group of people to carry the plane across a ditch to a road where traffic could be blocked, allowing the road to be used as a runway for takeoff!! The resilient pair dealt with strong headwinds, travelled at general speeds of 100 mph, had to be highly strategic with their fuel budgeting and refueling locations, flew at altitudes up to 11,200 feet, and endured poor visibility due to clouds amidst high mountain peaks. The two women fared well, making a successful round trip and receiving considerable attention from the press at both ends of their journey. What an exhilarating experience!

In 1952, Margaret chose to join the Foreign Service and "landed" at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran where she worked in the Public Information Office assisting speech writers, reporters, technical writers, photographers, editors, and film and radio media representatives. It was in Tehran where she met, fell in love with, and married Marine Sergeant Malcolm Lee Richardson of Savannah, Georgia. To think, they were both from Georgia, and they had to go to the other side of the world to find each other!

As a new bride, Margaret returned to the U.S. with her husband and worked as a secretary to the Chief of Staff and a Brigadier General at the Marine Corps Base in Camp Pendleton, California where Malcolm was stationed. When he decided to go to college with the goal of joining the Foreign Service, they moved to Washington, D.C. There Margaret took job with Department of Defense, Armed Forces where she worked as a liaison between DoD and area schools to promote continuing education for service members. She later returned to the State Department in Washington where she performed wide ranging administrative functions, managed staff and received recognition for 10 years of service to the United States Government.

In 1962, Margaret left her position with the State Department as she embarked on raising a family, adopting a 3 year old boy and later a baby boy and girl. The family eventually settled in Reston, Virginia and was one of the first 100 families in this new planned community. Margaret was an enthusiastic and devoted mother. She shared her love of reading with her children through an extensive Dr. Seuss collection; encouraged her kids in soccer, baseball, field hockey and basketball; signed them up for ballroom dance classes to improve their foot skills and balance; and had them help in a large backyard vegetable garden to learn about growing plants and food. She indulged her children's interests no matter how unusual by allowing the basement to become a haven for exploring a great variety of activities. There the kids could raise chicks until they were ducklings ready to be released at a farm pond; have bowling; archery; and bb gun target shooting competitions; tear apart a television to see how it works; rebuild a VW motor; or facet a gemstone in dad's shop.

As her children grew older, she worked for Adtech, a DoD contractor in Reston. In her retirement years, Margaret continued her education in Art and Art History at Northern Virginia Community College. She developed a keen interest in Native American Art which likely was strengthened by her husband's Native American ancestry. With student groups, Margaret traveled extensively overseas, going to Egypt and Jordan, Greece and Turkey, France and Spain, and England to name a few. An avid game and puzzle enthusiast, Margaret became a serious Bridge player in her senior years. She hosted many bridge events at home, loving the company of dear friends and eventually reaching Grand Master status by playing in area tournaments. During these years, she also enjoyed helping provide daycare for her first grandson and broadening his connection with nature by feeding foxes and hawks in her backyard and tending to her fragile southern Gardenia that grew into a small "tree," planting it outside for the summer and bringing it inside to the basement enabling it to overwinter each year.

After Malcolm's passing in 2006, Margaret lived on her own for a number of years. She eventually developed Alzheimer's Disease and moved to Morningside House of Leesburg which became her second home. Here she was close to her son, Jon, and his family and was also part of the supportive and loving Morningside family of staff and residents.

Margaret is survived by her son Jon [wife Karen, grandchildren Michael and Jack] of Leesburg, VA and her daughter Amy. She asked that no service be held. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer's Association, the Smithsonian Institution (particularly the Native American Museum), the Ninety-Nines, or your favorite charity.