Margaret "Midge" Ann Morgan

Our beloved mother, Margaret (“Midge”) Morgan, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at Calyx Living in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.

Born on March 16, 1937, in Franklin, North Carolina, she was the daughter of John Harry Thomas and Genett Mallonee Thomas. She was a devoted wife to James (“Jim”) Harry Morgan, her husband of sixty-seven years, as well as a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt.

After graduating from Franklin High School in 1955, she went on to study at the Charlotte Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1958. She met Jim in Charlotte while he was working at his family’s business, Franklin-Morgan Company. The couple married at the Church of the Good Shepherd in York, South Carolina, on March 7, 1958. They then moved to Chapel Hill, where Jim obtained his master’s degree in 1960 and Margaret worked at the university hospital. One of their biggest decisions was moving to Fairfax County, Virginia. Jim taught at Madison High School, and Midge worked as a registered nurse at Fairfax County Hospital. The family bought their first home in Vienna, where Melissa Dianne was born on December 15, 1961. Four years later, on the same day, James Maurice was born. The family moved to Kings Park West in Fairfax in 1968 and lived there until 1986. During those busy years, Mom kept the family healthy and happy while working various nursing jobs, including at the Red Cross, and Dad worked at W.T. Woodson High School.

After Jim’s retirement from Fairfax County Public Schools in 1985, Mom and Dad decided to move back south and built a lovely house in Merrifield Acres in Clarksville, Virginia. Mom continued working as a nurse in various capacities until her retirement in 2002. For example, she worked at the Burlington textile plant in Oxford, North Carolina, and at the Lake Country Area Agency on Aging. Her reputation as a caring nurse and neighbor grew each year as she helped with many church and community projects. She ran the Clarksville Food Pantry for many years and volunteered with Jim at the Clarksville Ruritan Club Thrift Shop. They were active members of Clarksville Presbyterian Church and served on various committees and provided care to the community.

A daughter of the Smoky Mountains at heart, Mom’s home in Clarksville reflected her love and respect for nature. She never wanted a tree cut down unless it was dangerous. The wooded lot overlooking Buggs Island Lake was landscaped with an astonishing variety of plants and flowers, which the deer enjoyed because Mom did not want fences on her property. Their home was the site of many reunions, welcoming back their children’s families, as well as an extensive network of relatives and friends. A glimpse at Mom’s detailed address book reveals the many families she loved keeping up with over the years.

Her years of caring for Jim and her sister Joan demonstrated her dedication to others. Due to her own declining health, Midge and Jim moved further south to live closer to Melissa. They found a caring community at Calyx Living in Fuquay-Varina, which supported our family tremendously until Dad passed away in August 2025, and now Mom. Despite her health struggles, she continued to show care and kindness to her fellow residents and the staff. Her wit and feistiness often provided comic relief.

Midge is survived by her daughter, Melissa Diane Dayton; her son, James Maurice Morgan; and her grandchildren: Chris and Garrett Dayton; Daniel, Melinda, and Christina Mubarik-Morgan; and great-grandchildren: Orell Morgan and Gwendolyn Mubarik-Morgan.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband, James Harry Morgan; her sisters, Frances Carolyn Thomas Chandler and Joan T. Mallonee; her brothers, John Charles “Charlie” Thomas and Jimmie Thomas; and her parents, John Harry Thomas and Genett Mallonee Thomas. Due to current family circumstances, a memorial service for Midge will be held later this year at Clarksville Presbyterian Church in Clarksville, Virginia.
Arrangements for the service will be communicated to family and friends.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (https://themmrf.org).

Watkins Cooper Lyon Funeral Home in Clarksville, Virginia, are honored to respectfully serve the Morgan family.