An Inspiration to All

Featured Writer, Sue McCormick

When I first met Margot Ross and discovered that she was 107 years young, I thought I heard her wrong. She appeared to be in her 80’s! She was still walking up and down the steps to her bedroom each day, had an excellent memory, a sharp wit, and loved to talk and reminisce about her life. I will do my best to put her life as she told it down on paper so that everyone reading can be as touched as I was after meeting such an extraordinary woman.

Margot was born in 1913 as Margot

Neuwirth She had a sister, Lily, and after her parents split, she moved into her grandparents home with her Mom and sister Her German roots run deep and she told a story of her Great Grandfather, who hid from Napoleon's army in a wine barrel She lived through both great wars and as a teenager protested against the Hitler regime She was an avid downhill skier and often skied the Alps given they were so close to Munich.

As a matter of fact, she sadly remembered the day she took off her skis for the last time in St. Moritz at the young age of 81 due to a bad knee that she later had replaced at age 90! At the time of her knee replacement in 2003, she was the oldest person to have this surgery

In her early 20’s in Frankfurt, she met her husband, Frank Ross. Frank was born in 1898 in Frankfurt, Germany, and was 15 years her senior He was a talented artist to the dismay of his family because they wanted him to take over the family textile business For two years, he served in WW I in Russia, returned to Germany where he met Margot and then in 1935, Margot followed him to Positano, Italy where he joined an artist colony that led to a one-man art show in New York City in the late 1930’s Given the unrest in Europe during this period, his move came at a perfect time for the young couple Frank, who passed away in 1992, often told the story of his first voyage to NYC where he traveled first class and had the pleasure of meeting Franklin Roosevelt’s mother.

Margot shortly thereafter joined Frank in New York City where he continued his art study and career She remembers reading paperback novels before her voyage in English to teach herself the language and during her early years in the US, Margot was often using words that had a romantic slant in her dialect This resulted in a running joke with her friends.

Margot and Frank married on May 13, 1940 after one earlier failed attempt of marriage due to the laws of New York in that era requiring a period of time that one cannot marry after being divorced (Frank was divorced) Margot fondly remembered having the marriage celebration anyway and then having another one on the day they actually did marry. In 1943, their first child, Frances, was born and then later in 1948, their second daughter, Bonnie, was born.

As a matter of fact, she sadly remembered the day she took off her skis for the last time in St. Moritz at the young aUpon becoming parents, Frank and Margot decided they needed a second source of reliable income, other than his paintings. Frank reconnected with his family business because his parents had passed and he began to design sketches for the textile business that he and his sister inherited. His intricate designs were a big success and he and Margot both worked in textile and clothing design for decades in addition to creating his art. While raising two daughters, Margot worked and designed a line of what she called “spectator sport wear” or in today’s world, casual wear A head for business is one of the things that had kept Margot’s mind so sharp and one of the things that she dearly missed was reading the New York Times each morning and following the activity in the stock market Macular degeneration had impaired her vision to the point that she could no longer read Additionally, she had fragile skin, but amazingly remained in good health, particularly for her age as of the date of the interview

In 1950, Margot and Frank purchased a home on Long Island

She summered on the island with her daughter Bonnie, and son-in-law, Russ Walker, who lives in Georgia. Enjoying her time with her daughter at the Long Island home was very enjoyable for Margot. Unfortunately, Margot’s last summer visit has been delayed due to COVID-19, but she got a twinkle in her eye each time she talked about her beautiful home on the island. She described the homestead to me in vivid detail, from the construction, the views, and even the flowers, and was eagerly waiting to see her home again. The view from her front porch looked over the sound and you could see Connecticut on a clear day When not in Long Island, she was residing with her daughter and son-in-law in their Georgia home, and had an amazing caregiver, Robin Pressley, with Synergy HomeCare.

When I asked Margot about her favorite memories, she said skiing with her children in St. Moritz and traveling the world with her husband topped the list Margot’s favorite food memory is the Hasen Braten and Stolten that her Mom and Grandmother used to cook To this day, she still has family in Germany, with descendants from her sister Lily, including a nephew and grand-nephews in Munich. She also fondly remembers St. Nicholas Day on December 6th, when she and her sister would put their shoes out in hopes they would be filled with treats

Also, Margot loved getting dressed up at Christmas and going on an excursion such as the Zoo with her Granddad, and then returning to a fully decorated Christmas tree and gifts under the tree.

Unfortunately, Margot’s oldest daughter Frances, passed away in 1997 from breast cancer but she is fortunate to have her daughter, Bonnie as well as her two grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, who did a wonderful job helping care for her up until her death in October of 2020.

Synergy HomeCare had the distinct pleasure of caring for Margot Ross over her last year and were honored to be able to spend time with such an amazing woman. Thank you to both Margot and her daughter, Bonnie for giving us this opportunity to spend time with such an amazing woman In closing, we pray that Margot is at peace with her beloved husband.