On November 24, 2022, Margaret Lynn Morgan, beloved wife, devoted mother, cherished sister, and much-admired friend and educator, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family.
Margaret was born August 16, 1969, in Cutchogue, New York to Dr. Donald O’Quinn Morgan and Sue (Brown) Morgan. Dr. Don Morgan’s work as a research veterinarian took the family to Lexington, Kentucky and Urbana, Illinois, but home was the tip of Long Island where the potato and pumpkin farms provided most of the entertainment. She graduated from Mattituck High School in 1987.
Margaret’s lifelong dream was to teach high school math, so she began her education at Davidson College, in Davidson, North Carolina. At Davidson, Margaret found her place. She loved the college almost as much as she loved the friends she made there. You didn’t know Margaret for long without knowing how important her Davidson years were to her. She loved to tell the story of when Hurricane Hugo came through, and the campus lost power for a week. She cherished the time with her Davidson family at the Davidson gatherings at Montreat, North Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Davidson, Margaret decided to move to Athens, Georgia to pursue her graduate education at both of her parents’ alma mater, the University of Georgia. Margaret earned both a master’s degree in Mathematics Education (1993) and a master’s degree in Mathematics (1995). While in graduate school, Margaret worked as a tutor for the UGA Athletics Department, making friends with most of the football players of the early nineties.
It was during graduate school that Margaret met the love of her life, Derrell Hall. Margaret and Derrell were married August 3, 1996, holding the event on land that had been in her family for over a hundred years and where her family still had a home. Margaret and Derrell made their home in Athens, Georgia, and Margaret procured a mathematics teaching position at what was then called Athens Area Technical Institute. Margaret rose quickly through the ranks at Athens Tech, serving as mathematics instructor, department coordinator, e-Learning coordinator, Director of Instruction, and Dean for the Division of Technology, Engineering, and Manufacturing. Margaret would eventually follow her dream of teaching high school math and ended her career as a mathematics instructor at Cedar Shoals High School. One of Margaret’s driving forces was to mentor students to love math as much as she did. More importantly, she wanted her students to love learning and to achieve more than they thought possible (which they did). In 2011, Margaret earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Georgia. She was proud to follow in her father’s footsteps with the title Dr. Morgan.
Without question, the greatest moment of Margaret’s life was the day her son Jackson was born. Jackson brought a happiness to his parents’ lives that they could never have imagined. She always liked to say that Jackson was made of the best parts of both of his parents. She was thrilled when she began teaching high school that Jackson was still young enough for long summer vacations. They made a goal to visit as many major league baseball parks as they could and visited all of the major national parks. One of her favorite annual traditions was spending the holidays in Snowshoe, West Virginia, drinking hot chocolate and watching Derrell and Jackson ski. Most recently, Margaret celebrated Jackson’s admittance to UGA-another Dawg in the family!
In addition to loving math, Margaret was an outstanding baker. She loved making cakes, cookies, and breads. She said that cooking for others is what helped her relax. Her friends and family all benefited from her “relaxation,” and everyone had their favorite dish that she would make for them on birthdays and special occasions. Her pumpkin cake was legendary.
Margaret was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Derrell Hall; son Jackson Morgan Hall; her brother, Ernest (Kelly) Morgan of Star, North Carolina; her nephew Donald (Stephanie) Morgan and her great-nephew Bruce Morgan of Las Vegas, Nevada; and her niece, Madeline Morgan of Alexandria, Virginia. She also has special friends, who are like family, Madeline and Jonathan Ransom and their parents and her friend, Caroline Angelo, Jackson’s “second” mom. She also leaves behind her two much-loved dogs, Wrigley and Chipper.
A celebration of life ceremony will be held Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 11:00 AM at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church. The family will receive friends from 10:00AM until 10:45AM at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Athens Area Habitat for Humanity or the Fund for Davidson College.
