John Charles Margo

Johnny was born on December 21, 1929 in New Orleans, Louisiana to the late John Charles and Minnie Margo. He spent his childhood in Havana, Cuba. After attending Mount Hermon boarding school for high school, he went on to earn a mechanical engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Upon graduation, Johnny put his degree to use in the oil fields of Venezuela. He started his career in Caracas, first with Uniroyal before he was hired by the Creole Petroleum Corporation, an affiliate of Standard Oil. The decades spent working for Creole were the heart of his career and a defining part of who Johnny was. In Venezuela Johnny met the love of his life, Betty Jean Seng, and they were married on February 11, 1955. Their marriage lasted 71 happy years. The Margos had two daughters, Leslie A. (Jim) Casey and Mary Beth (Chris) Sullivan. Johnny leaves behind five grandchildren, Chris Sullivan, Ryan Casey, Margo Sullivan, Caroline Casey, and Catherine Casey. Papi, as he was nicknamed by his grandchildren, loved keeping in close touch with each of them and dispensing sage advice gleaned from his extensive life experience.

Johnny spent most of his career in western Venezuela, enjoying life in the tight-knit oilfield camps and creating life-long bonds with colleagues and neighbors who became family. In 1977, due to the nationalization of the US oil companies, Johnny transferred back to Houston and put down Texas roots before retiring from Exxon in 1985 after four decades of work. In retirement, Johnny loved to play golf & tennis, and he worked hard to stay fit. He prided himself on always walking 18 holes instead of riding in a golf cart. He enjoyed the simple things in life: traveling the world with Betty and friends, meals with family, a good single malt whisky, and a bottle of Malbec.

After spending half his life thinking and speaking in fluent Spanish, Johnny had a certain way with words that was unique to him. He was well known for sprinkling his sentences with Spanish idioms that didn’t quite translate to English. Papi, we will always miss you, but we know that you’re having “a millionaire’s day” in heaven with an eternity of days to come. Besos.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. 16 June, 2026 at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX