Margaret Laurel Wortman

1926 - 2023

Margaret Laurel Wortman
May 21, 1926 - January 28, 2023
Olympia, Washington - Margaret (Peg) Laurel Wortman, beloved matriarch and colorful local personality, died peacefully at age 96 on January 28, 2023, at the rural Steamboat Peninsula farmhouse where her family has lived for 60+ years. Also known by her longtime nickname "Mingo," she was born on May 21st, 1926, and lived through the Great Depression, WWII, and the seismic changes of the 60s and 70s.
She met the love of her life and husband-to-be Richard (Dick) Wortman through the Pacific Northwest Cycling Association (PNCA) in the mid-1940s, when she was in her late teens. They bonded over their shared love of classical music, books, and the great outdoors, and were married in 1946.
They lived in various places including a houseboat in the Portage Bay area of Seattle, before buying property near Olympia, WA in 1962. There they planted a huge garden and kept horses, goats, and chickens, and raised three daughters and a son. Both were active in the local community: Dick was a volunteer fireman with the Griffin Fire Department, and Peg worked with the school district to organize plays and other cultural events for children.
Peg was widowed in 1971 at age 45 when Dick died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving her to raise her two youngest children alone. She never remarried.
When her youngest kids were in high school, Peg went back to college and completed her bachelor's degree at the Evergreen State College in 1984. Then she moved to Seattle where she earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Washington and had a private counseling practice. Eventually she retired back to the family farm in Olympia.
Those are the basic facts. But to try to fully express Peg's vibrant, multilayered personality and the lasting impact she made on those who knew her is more challenging.
She was larger-than-life, with a big heart, strong opinions, and unquenchable curiosity. She was an extremely intelligent lifelong learner with a keen interest in politics. She cared deeply about issues of social justice and the environment, and loved animals and nature. She was very interested in teaching, psychology, and early childhood development. She was multitalented, flamboyant, and creative, with a great love of costumes, singing and dancing. She adored Olympia's annual Procession of the Species. She was a skilled writer and poet, and enjoyed sharing her reminiscences with friends and neighbors on NextDoor. She was irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind, and will be deeply missed.
Peg is survived by her daughters Suzanne Shepherd, Kristin Felix, and Jennifer Shepherd; by her grandsons Stephen, Tyler, Travis, and Thomas Wortman; and by four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son Markimoho (Mark) Wortman and her sisters Jean Moehring and Dorothy Rasmussen. For info on a memorial service to be held in late May, contact suzanneshepherd49@icloud.com.
If you'd like to make a memorial donation, please support Valhalla Canine Rescue (valhallarescue.org) or the Procession of the Species (procession.org).
Or, just raise a glass to Peg and say, in the words of Don Marquis' Archy and Mehitabel, "wotthehell, wotthehell... toujours gai!"