Margaret M. Harkins Soltis

Margaret Mary Harkins Soltis died on September 13, 2025, at the age of 81 after a long battle with dementia. She was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on May 28, 1944. Her parents, Albert Green Harkins and Eileen Rita Griffin Harkins, and sister, Catherine May, predeceased her. Those who survive her include her husband, Bruce Soltis, her son, Kenneth Soltis (wife Celeste Sonnier), and grandchild, Marguerite Marie Soltis. Her brother, Daniel Harkins (wife Trudi), also survives her, along with seven nieces and nephews. Her life was marked by her profound humor, which lives in the memories of those who loved her.

Margaret, as she was known in adulthood, graduated from Matignon High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1962, she matriculated at Boston’s Emmanuel College, where she earned a degree in chemistry. In 1966, fearing a limited job market dominated by secretarial and typist positions, she enlisted in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. The Navy offered her equal opportunity and a chance to see the world. She disagreed with the US involvement in Vietnam and joked that her superiors in Officer Candidate School believed she was a communist, so they stationed her in quiet Bainbridge, Maryland. Her command rotated enlisted sailors between sea and shore duty. There, she met another officer who became the love of her life and future husband of nearly 55 years.

After an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1968, she taught for a year in Maryland. In the fall of ‘69 she spent six months traveling in Europe on a budget of $5 dollars a day. A journal of her trip described another traveler calling her allocation laughably low, and mentioned splurging on a 25-cent cup of coffee.

Upon returning in 1970, she and Bruce became engaged and moved together to Michigan. They married that October at Our Lady of Victory Church in Centerville, Massachusetts. While her husband attended graduate school, Margaret was the primary earner, with stints teaching and working in a university toxicology lab. Later, she worked in a wastewater treatment facility and liked to laugh about heading into stinky sewers to collect samples. In 1977, she moved to New Orleans after her husband took a job there. She found employment as a technician in the USDA’s Southern Regional Research Laboratory, helping to develop permanent-press finishes for cotton fabrics.

Margaret developed lupus in early adulthood. She periodically suffered from debilitating autoimmune attacks, one of which cost her a kidney. The disorder prevented her from conceiving, but with the disease in remission in 1980, she gave birth to her beloved son, Kenneth, in January 1981. After her son’s birth, she became a full-time mother. And in her 40s, Margaret took up yoga and her lupus went into permanent remission.

She had a great love of art and filled some of her time volunteering as a docent at the New Orleans Museum of Art. There, she combined her interest in art with her teaching experience by leading school children on tours of the museum.

In the late 80s, Margaret took up pottery and developed into a formidable amateur artist throwing pots. She became adept at manipulating glazes to create beautiful finishes. Her artistry evolved into making what were essentially portraits made of clay. On sheets of clay, she either carved or added thin strips of clay to create both abstract and realistic faces. She gave many pieces to friends and family as gifts.

In her 70s, Margaret developed dementia, which robbed her of much of her personality. Perhaps her greatest trait was her sense of humor. She had the ability to laugh at any situation and her playfulness could make a boring situation, like waiting in line at a grocery store, suddenly interesting. Her comedy endeared her to friends and loved ones. Her gift was so strong that her dementia could not steal the glee of laughter from her eyes until her final weeks. Her wit survives, always.

Friends and Family are invited to attend a funeral at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home in New Orleans, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., on Wednesday, September 24. Visitation begins at 11 am, followed by a service at noon. After interment, guests are invited to a reception at the Southern Yacht Club, 105 N. Roadway St. in New Orleans, at 1:30 pm.