by Nancy Hartge

Marjorie O’Keeffe was born March 31, 1915 just ten years before the Raleigh Garden Club was founded on March 13, 1925.She was born Marjorie Farmer to Eunice Dodd Farmer and James Farmer, a minister.  Marge, as her friends called her, grew up in Georgia and graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia majoring in mathematics. She enjoyed sports and music playing basketball and tennis while in college. In 1941 Marge married John Graham O’Keeffe and they had four children, John, Jim, Bill and Margie. Using her education, she taught high school mathematics in Georgia, West Virginia and Cary, NC.  While in West Virginia she was President of the Association for Exceptional Children and helped start the school for exceptional children.

Marge loved her family, gardening, art, antiques, traveling and genealogy. She loved giving parties, had an antique shop and a radio show called  “Shopping With Marge.” Some of you may remember that Marge was President of our own Garden Club and the Cary Club. She was Treasurer of the state garden club as well as liaison to the J.C. Raulston Arboretum for several years. We can be thankful to her for the beautiful flowers along our highways.  Marge promoted the planting of wildflowers along the North Carolina highways and chaired the committee for the beautification of the North Carolina Visitor Centers.

If you are getting tired thinking of yourself doing all the things Marge accomplished we’ve only just begun. She was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and United Daughters of the Confederacy, in the Pro and Con Book Club, several bridge clubs and the Hayes Barton Baptist Church.

For the year 2007-08 she was granted the Maslin Award given to a member who has done the most over a period of years to further the aims and projects of the Garden Clubs of North Carolina. It shouldn’t surprise any of us as she must not have slept much since she was so active in life.

Marjorie died August 24, 2012 at the age of 97. All we can say is thank you Marge for all you did to keep our club healthy and enjoyable for us to be members.