NORFOLK – Holly Silver Margason passed away peacefully on Oct. 11, surrounded by her family while watching The Wizard of Oz, one of her favorite movies. Fittingly, she passed during the moment where Dorothy crosses over from the black and white world into the magical, technicolor land of Oz.
Born in Norfolk, Va., to Philip and Goldie Silver, Holly was a second-generation graduate of Maury High School. She lived in the same house in the Roland Park neighborhood from her childhood.
After gaining “two amazing kids” from her previous marriage to Thomas Ingram, she met Andrew Margason while they were both working at Professional Heating and Cooling. When they first started dating, Holly and Andrew would regularly go dancing on Tuesday nights at the Heartbreak Cafe in Virginia Beach. They were married June 1, 1997.
Though Holly worked as an office manager for several companies over the years, she always said the only job she ever really wanted was to be a mother and a grandmother—and she was wonderful at both. She was incredibly imaginative with kids, constantly playing pretend and singing made-up lullabies that her family all still sings today. When she retired in 2019, she happily took on the role of watching her first grandchild during the week.
Holly was known for being supremely selfless, prioritizing everyone around her. She would be in communication with the people she loved almost daily and was regularly on Facebook giving updates. She loved to commemorate every moment, constantly taking pictures and videos.
She loved decorating for Halloween, and despite being Jewish, had a soft spot for Christmas. She would start listening to holiday music as soon as the radio stations started playing it—reasoning that since the majority of songs were written by Jewish composers, it was okay.
One of her favorite places in the world was the family cabin, located near the museum and childhood home of Earl Hammner on Walton’s Mountain—and Holly enjoyed being part of the Waltons fan club. She was obsessed with all things vintage, especially mid-century modern style, and embodied I Love Lucy humor.
She was known for her comically loud gasps whenever she was slightly startled, making her family think there was a huge emergency whenever she dropped a pen. She was always chatting, humming, and whist- ling—something she passed along to her grandson, who constantly whistles now, too.
She had a relentlessly positive attitude. For many years she had a license plate that translated to “Won’t Give Up.” She made a difference in her community as a member of Temple Israel, where her parents were founding members, and as an officer in the Roland Park Civic League for over 15 years.
Her loved ones will miss her cheerfulness, her kindness, her deep and abiding love, and the colorful light that she shined into the world around her. She is survived by her beloved husband, Andrew Margason; her son, Troy, and his wife, Lindsay, and grandsons Schaefer and Theodore; her son, Eric Ingram, and his wife, Andrea Jensen; and her stepdaughter, Nicole Montgomery, and her husband, Justin, and family. She is also survived by her brother, Brian Silver, and by her sister, Fran Hoyt (Dave).
Services were held at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Tree of Life section, in Norfolk, Va.
Donations in her memory can be sent to either CHKD, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts.