Margaret Richardson

Margaret was born on May 14, 1921, in Sharon, Pennsylvania to Domenica (Minnie) and Joseph Carbone (Carbon), Italian immigrants from the town of Colobraro in Basilicata, Italy. She was the youngest of seven children and was extremely proud to be of "Italian extraction". Margaret’s parents “instilled an appreciation for culture, education, and the desire to help others who share those same values”. Her mother owned and operated an independent grocery store during the Depression, and that is where Margaret spent much of her youth. She credited it as where she first learned to "count money" at the age of five. That talent would serve her well.

After high school, Margaret graduated from General Motors Accounting School and soon was on her way to a successful career. At 26, she boarded a train to California. She was a single, young woman with "only $200 in her pocket", but she also carried her coveted financial skills. Soon Margaret was impressing automotive dealers throughout Southern California with her sharp mind and tenacity. She broke many barriers and was the first woman to hold a variety of roles in these male-dominated businesses including head accountant and financial manager.

Years later, while working in Los Angeles as the business manager and vice president for the largest Buick dealership in the country, Bill Murphy Buick, Margaret met the love of her life, Howard Richardson. Howard was a charming and handsome Navy dirigible pilot veteran who excelled at selling cars. The two married In 1965, and in 1972 they built their own Chevrolet dealership in Newport Beach. Howard Chevrolet was very successful with Margaret running a tight ship as its financial manager. Ten years to the day after opening, the couple sold the dealership to Jim Slemons Mercedes . Margaret and Howard spent the next decade traveling the world for fun and charity.

When Howard passed away suddenly in 1989, Margaret was devastated, but she took advantage of the rest of her long life to continue to help others. She memorized the poem, "Miss Me, But Let Me Go", and recited it to herself every day, taking to heart the line from the end of the poem: "Bury Your Sorrows in Doing Good Deeds". During his lifetime, Howard had been a University of Arizona graduate and ambassador for the school's Century 11 Capital Campaign. Margaret was bitten by this philanthropic bug, and after Howard’s passing, she extended her charity to several great universities and medical institutions including the University of Arizona, Chapman University, The Ohio State University, the University of Arizona Medical Center, Hoag Hospital, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, The House Ear Institute, and the Braille Institute. Margaret was also a Paul Harris Fellow of the service-minded Rotary Club. She attended meetings with Howard until his passing and then joined the club in her own right. She was proud of her long-standing, unbroken attendance record and continued to attend meetings until she was 98. Margaret thoroughly believed in supporting education, the arts, and health care, both in the present and through charitable gift annuities, and she encouraged friends and family to do the same. "If you are successful, you should support organizations that will make a difference," she said. Margaret made close friends at each of the institutions she sponsored, and many of these individuals remained her dearest friends for life.

Margaret treated everyone she met with respect and went out of her way to help people from all walks of life. With modest beginnings and a belief in hard work, she extended extra assistance to those on their way up in the world. Throughout the years, Margaret supported many individuals' educational and musical dreams by advising and aiding them in their pursuits. Countless lives were changed by her interventions, and the beneficiaries of her generosity have never forgotten it.

As a great advocate for higher education, she returned to college herself and received her associate degree from Mt. San Antonio College when she was 48. She stopped short of her bachelors in order to open and run Howard Chevrolet. But after Howard and Margaret closed the dealership, she returned to school for more classes. In 2002, in recognition of her advanced knowledge of musical excellence, she was named an honorary alumna of Chapman University, summa cum laude. One of Dr. Margaret’s proudest achievements, though, came at 95 when she received a Doctorate of Humane Letters Honorary Degree from The University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Margaret was also extremely proud of her incredible memory and quick mind for numbers. Following Howard’s passing, she very successfully invested in securities, managed her finances and kept strict accounting of her own books well into her late 90s.

She believed age was just a number, calling herself mature rather than old. She never shared her true age until she turned 90. With beautiful Italian skin that implied she was 40 years younger, she suddenly became quite proud of her age and was willing to brag about it a little. Margaret wore high heels, perfectly coiffed locks, St. John Knits and short, white gloves. On the inside, she kept an upbeat and positive attitude for her entire life and frequently shared this philosophy with friends by giving them copies of, “Have a Great Day Every Day” by Norman Vincent Peale. When visited by friends and family and asked how she was, she would respond, “Great, now that you’re here!”

Margaret loved food, especially good Italian food, and enjoyed sharing meals with close friends and family. She would recount the details of special lunches and dinners for days afterward. As a true Italian, Margaret shared food to show love, bringing cookies to doctors' and other offices and mailing treats to family and friends across the country.

While Margaret did not have children and never remarried, she surrounded herself with loved ones. She remained close with Howard's daughter, Jacquie, and her family, and she made daily calls to other relatives and friends throughout the country. For years, Margaret prayed for family members to move closer to her in Orange County. Eventually, her prayers were answered. When two great nieces and their families transplanted to Irvine, “Auntie Mame” finally had the local, extended family of her dreams.

In addition to Howard, her husband of 24 years, Margaret is preceded in death by her parents; and siblings, Mary, Patrick, Elizabeth, Bill, Americus, Tony, and Frank. She was greatly loved and will be sadly missed by her nephew John (Louise Clarke) Carbon; great nieces and nephew, Carol (Dan) Howard, Beth Gregal, Alli (Scott) Novosel, Patty (Jeff Evans) Carbon, and John (Jason Jones) Carbon; stepdaughter, Jacquie Moody; step-grandchildren, Darren Moody and Jenifer (Graham) Badry; and great, great niece and nephews, Hannah, Alex, Dominic, Ian, Cooper, David and Michael.

Margaret adored celebrating her birthday at her beloved Pacific Club and was greatly anticipating her 100th birthday party. Her wish will be fulfilled as friends and family will be invited to memorialize Margaret’s amazing life there on or around the 100th anniversary of her birth. Details will be shared next spring. In the meantime, A small, family ceremony will be held later this month to lay Margaret to rest with Howard in Crypt 131 of Lagunita Court Mausoleum, Pacific View Memorial Park. All are welcome to visit and pay respects at any time.