Obituary of Margaret Bartholomew

Margaret Barrie Bartholomew passed away on February 18, 2012, after a long and rewarding life. Margaret was born to Margot and William Wilson on March 28, 1923, in Sydney, Australia. She grew up in an ethnically and culturally diverse area of Sydney, which helped shape her perspective of life. She attended school in Sydney, then worked in a munitions lab before marrying William Gegg of Hong Kong, China, in 1946. In 1958, they moved with their three children to East Pakistan, where William worked as a physician for a hydroelectric project in Kaptai. Margaret moved with her children to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1960 and remarried in 1962. In 1964, she and her second husband, Bart, and their combined family moved to Port Hedland, Australia. When they returned to the United States, they settled in Berkeley, CA. There, Margaret was an active volunteer for the public schools. In 1975, they moved to St. Louis, where Margaret earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology at Washington University. They returned to California in 1984, where Bart taught construction management at CSU, Chico. Margaret earned her master's degree in anthropology with a specialty in museum studies from CSU, Chico and worked as a curator for the Museum of Anthropology. She was on the board of the Butte County Historical Society, the Stansbury Home and the Chico Museum, later serving as president for the Chico Museum. She helped organize the Northern California Association of Museums to assist small museums with their exhibits and funding. Margaret had a love of color, textiles and an ongoing interest in knitting and sewing. Margaret and Bart had many friends with whom they stayed in contact over the 49 years of their marriage. People loved to visit as Margaret was a wonderful cook and made everyone feel at home with her warm personality and engaging conversation. She enjoyed sharing her strong opinions about politics, life and ideas. Margaret and Bart loved their dogs and always encouraged visitors to bring their dogs to the family home. Margaret is survived by her husband, Stuart Bartholomew of Chico; daughters, Caroline Gegg of Pleasant Hill, and Margot Gegg (Larry Mitchell) of Chico; and sons, Bill Gegg (Sharon) of Pleasant Hill, Steve Bartholomew (Lyn), Tony Bartholomew (Naomi) and Jay Bartholomew (Cindy), all of Keaau, Hawaii, and Nate Bartholomew (Kathy) of Portland, Oregon. Margaret's lucky grandchildren are Josh (Katy), Jevon, Bryna, Weslee, Courtney, Andrew, Kelly, Robin (Kainoa), Kyle (Joan), Evan (Kelly) and Levi (Mel). She has a number of great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a niece, Louise Specht (Tim), and their children, Liz and Greg. A gathering of family and friends will occur in the spring at the family home in Chico. It will be a time to honor this extraordinary woman who will be missed by many. Donations in Margaret's memory may be made to the Butte Humane Society or the Chico Museum.