Remembering Margie Handley

Margie Handley Interview, by Dawn Kalin

A few weeks before Margie left for her new adventure, I interviewed her.
The first question I asked was: “What are you most proud of?” With no hesitation, she said her family, with four sons and two step-sons and ten grandchildren and sixteen great great grandchildren and one great great great grandchild.

Margie’s extremely strong roots will go on and on for many generations to come. With all Margie’s DNA here on earth, I can see why Margie would be proud. She created quite the legacy indeed. Margie married very young and had her children early because she knew she had a lot of living to do and things that needed to be accomplished.

Margie’s Legacy is vast with all she accomplished in her lifetime. Margie started young with her ambitious spirt. Her first job was at eight years old, working for her father tagging lumber. Margie went on to work at an asphalt plant, to running a western clothing store, and then even building 200lb boxes for guns. There was no job Margie could not do. The harder and more complicated the better, which is why her favorite job was working for California Transportation Commission.

Margie explained to me that she would not think through before accepting a job. Her impulsive nature made for a fun ride.  Then, once she was committed, she was all in. Anyone who knew Margie, knew that she could do anything she put her heart into.  She even ran for the Senate because she saw a need for change and she knew she could make things better for her community.  She was just a few votes away from winning the seat — no surprise, knowing Margie.

Margie’s heart was a caring heart, she just wanted to make peoples life better — to bring happiness and joy to as many people as possible.  Margie found one of the best ways to help people was in her ability to raise millions of dollars to develop the Howard Hospital — helping hundreds of thousands of families get care.
When I asked her: “If you could do anything what would it be?” she said she would love to be an entertainer like Debbie Reynolds, because she wished to bring happiness to people — to help them forget about all their worries.  In so many ways she did just that for so many people through her life.

I just met Margie a year ago and we became fast friends.  I am so honored to have meet such an amazing person.  She will live on in my heart for the rest of my life — her vibrant, playful spirit serving as a guide.  Whenever the way ahead feels uncertain, I often think to myself: “What would Margie do?”