Margo Walcavich Tate of Leesburg, Virginia, beloved wife of Michael David Tate, passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones on April 6, 2024. She was 84.

Margo was born on October 28, 1939, in Washington, DC, to Frank and Anne Walcavich - their first child and only daughter. She graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, where she was a member of the Library Club, Pep Club, Poster Club and Thespian Club, and where she met some lifelong friends, and one guy named Michael whom she would keep around for quite some time. She went on to attend Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She later studied at Northern Virginia Community College, where she hoped to fulfill her dream of becoming a marine biologist.

She was 15 when she met her future husband of 63 years at the party of a mutual friend. They married one snowy February 4 in Arlington, Virginia. The blizzard that day prevented some of their friends and family from attending the blessed event, but Margo and Mike were undeterred. Margo worked in the ARPA offices of the Pentagon and was later a secretary in the Eisenhower White House. For years after leaving government service, Margo would regale her family with tales from that time, and emphasize what a gentleman President Eisenhower was, in sharp contrast to his Vice President, Richard Nixon. Margo left government service to raise her four children. She loved a great recipe (that she would prepare with love and the skill of an expert chef), she devoured at least two books a week on her Kindle, she was a competitive bridge player, and was a steady tennis partner at the Middleburg Tennis Club until her body became too creaky to continue.

When Margo and Mike and their four children moved from Alexandria, Virginia, to Middleburg, Virginia, in 1976, she found herself surrounded by open fields and red Angus bulls. Soon she filled the house with puppies, first Labrador Retrievers and then Pembroke Welsh Corgis. One eventful Christmas, to the delight of her children, Margo managed to orchestrate two litters of puppies in two days, which meant 15 puppies running around the yard 4 weeks later, to the delight of her children.

Margo was happiest at the beach, one week with the whole family and one week with just Michael and her closest friends. Rarely could she be found on the sand, but rather, Margo most enjoyed sitting on the deck, gazing at the ocean or reading a book.

Margo is predeceased by her parents and her brother, Francis Joseph Walcavich. She is survived by her devoted husband, Mike; her children, Michael (Bev), Chris (Kathy), Mark (Bonni), and Julie (Doug) and she was the proud grandmother of thirteen.

Funeral Service:

St. Theresa Catholic Church at 11:45 a.m.

21371 St. Theresa Lane, Ashburn, Virginia

Friday, April 12, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Blue Ridge Hospice or the Daisy Foundation.