Margie Mattmiller Wilbur

Margie Mattmiller Wilbur, career grade school teacher and local official and board member, died February 13, 2019 in Manchester Center, VT. Margie was born in 1926 in Louisville, KY, the daughter of August Henry Mattmiller and Ella Mae (Melvin) Mattmiller. Her family moved to Lexington, KY, where she attended Lafayette High School and the University of Kentucky, from which she received a B.A. in Education in 1947. In college, she joined Kappa Alpha Theta and met her husband, James B. Wilbur III. They married in 1949 in Lexington. During Margie's high school and college years, she excelled in modern dance. The photo was taken in Lexington in 1946 at Idle Hour Stock Farm (a/k/a E. R. Bradley Farm). Margie and Jim moved to New York City shortly after marrying. She received a Master of Arts from Columbia University in 1954 in developmental psychology and began a lifelong career in childhood education. Over the years she taught in Teaneck, NJ, Port Washington, NY, Hudson, OH, Geneseo, NY and Rush-Henrietta, NY. She and her husband acquired Jim's family property in Manchester, VT in 1973 and retired there full-time in 1990. Margie was appointed to the Town of Manchester Planning Commission for three terms, from 1996-2008, and was always an advocate for changes that respected the heritage and original design concept of the Town. She also served on the Town's Transportation Initiative Committee, notably participating in the resolution of the challenge that "Malfunction Junction" posed to drivers. She served on the Board of Directors of Mark Skinner Library, Manchester Historical Society and Dorset Theatre Festival. Margie was a Life Member of National Garden Clubs, Inc. and an Associate Member of Garden Club of Manchester, Inc. (VT); she served as president of the latter from 1990-92. She was also an active member of Federated Garden Clubs of Vermont, Inc., of which she was president from 1993-95. She was proud of her "Sunken Garden" at her home in the Village and worked tirelessly on it for years to maintain its charm and beauty. It was seen several years during The Garden Conservancy Open Days and can be viewed on the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives (https://sova.si.edu/details/AAG.GCA#ref11361). Margie enjoyed acting in community theater productions after retiring in Vermont, a pursuit that had begun in Garden City, NY in the early 60's and continued after she and Jim moved to Hudson, OH in 1964. From 1996-2005 she acted in several productions by The Dorset Players, Inc., including The Wayside Motor Inn and The Dining Room. She and Jim became members of Ekwanok Country Club in 1986 and enjoyed playing golf there. She was an Emeritus member at the time of her death. The club provided her with a place for meeting friends and staying connected with people she had known for years in her own "backyard", especially after Jim's death in 1996. Margie was an active parishioner at St. John's Chapel in Manchester and Zion Episcopal Church in Manchester Center, and served as a chalice bearer at both. Among her church activities were making dolls with other women to send to parishes in other countries, as well as participating in the women's bible study groups. Margie was an avid duplicate bridge player throughout her life and earned ACBL masterpoints. She is survived by her son, James Benjamin Wilbur IV (Cynthia), of Brooklyn, NY and her daughter, Ann Wilbur McCulloch (Andrew), of New Canaan, CT. Also surviving are granddaughters Elizabeth Mae Wilbur and Laura Houston McCulloch and Margie's brother, Richard M. Mattmiller, of Lexington, KY. In accordance with Margie's wishes, there will not be a memorial service. Cards may be sent to Brewster Funeral Home. For those who wish to make a contribution in Margie's memory, the family suggests The Manchester Community Library or Dorset Theatre Festival. In accordance with Margie's wishes, there will not be a memorial service.