MARGOT FITZSIMONS EDWARDS (Age 88) Died on April 10, 2014 at Liberty Commons Nursing Center, Wilmington, NC. Margot, the second youngest of six siblings, was born in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland on March 2, 1926 to Charles and Marguerita (Lilburn) FitzSimons. Margot trained at the Abby Theatre and the Ena Mary Burke School of Drama and Elocution in Dublin, and appeared in three films, Some Say Chance (1932), I Know Where I'm Going (1945) and The Captive Heart (1946). Her budding acting career, however, ended with her marriage in 1945 to Harry W. Edwards, a major in the US Marine Corps unit assigned to London during WWII. Because of Harry's numerous career assignments, Margot resided in various locales both within the US and abroad, but Great Falls, Virginia eventually became home. A two-year stay in Japan was associated with a deep immersion in and love of the Japanese culture. Because of a shortage of military base housing, Margot and family lived in a private residence in Tokyo for the first year. Local families routinely came over in the evenings to practice speaking English. Margot became a serious student of ikebana (Japanese art of floral arrangement) and mastered the preparation of many Japanese dishes from a much-loved maid, Yoko. Since her childhood Margot had a life-long insatiable passion for horses that included many years of teaching riding, a long association with the Fairfax Hunt Club, and competing in three day events, hunter/jumper horse shows, and dressage events. The latter skill was acquired during two years of instruction at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan. Margot and Harry immensely enjoyed socializing with their many friends and family members. Margot was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, James and Charles Fitz-Simons, her sisters, Florence Clarke and Sister Margaret Mary (Irish Sisters of Charity), and by Harry, her loving husband of 61 years. She is survived by her son, Brian Edwards and his wife, Barbara of Leland, NC; granddaughter, Sarrah Edwards Roberts and her husband, Jordan of Jacksonville, NC; son, David Edwards and his wife, Donna of Walland, TN; her sister, Maureen (O'Hara) Blair of Boise, ID; many nieces and nephews. Services at St. Leo's Catholic Church, 3700 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA and burial at the Arlington National Cemetery will be scheduled at a future date. Arrangements are being handled by the Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, VA.Services at St. Leo's Catholic Church, 3700 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA and burial at the Arlington National Cemetery will be scheduled at a future date. Arrangements are being handled by the Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, VA.

Published in The Washington Post on Apr. 20, 2014