Margaret S. Christenson, age 93 of Emerson, GA, was reunited in Heaven with her husband of nearly 50 years, Page M. Christenson, on Tuesday, October 26, 2021.
She was born in Lorain, Ohio, on December 8, 1927, to Hungarian immigrants, Stephen and Magdalena Svarzkopf Selmants.
She is survived by her three daughters, Ilah Christina “Tina,” and her husband Scott Clark, of Cartersville; Katherine Page “Casey” and her husband Tom VanCamp of Charleston, S.C.; and Margaret Ann “Mac” and her husband Ed Nelson, of Emerald Isle, N.C. Also surviving are her son-in-law, Edward Drake “Ed” Brush, of Emerson, GA; and her “care daughters,” Oradell “Ora” Banks, LaToya Stephens, Jackie Washington, Felicia Hutchins, Maxine Window, and Christina Benham, whom she dearly loved as her own children. Her care-daughters gave Margaret a beautiful and rich life up until the end and are forever part of her surviving family.
Margaret was called “Baba” by her nine surviving grandchildren and their friends. She developed close and personal relationships with each of her grandchildren that continued to the end of her life. As recently as 2019, Baba regularly called, emailed, and texted her grandchildren, as well as sent them newspaper and magazine clippings she thought would interest them. She is survived by her grandchildren, Rachel Brush of New York City, NY; Ryan Brush and his fiancé Audrey Parks of Cambridge, MA; Adam Brush and his wife Jamie of White, GA; Jessy VanCamp and her husband Clint Grossnickle of Charleston, SC; Kelsey VanCamp and her husband Charles Daly of Atlanta, GA; Jared VanCamp and his fiancé Jamie Sison of Atlanta, GA; Emily Nelson of Emerald Isle, N.C.; Maggie Nelson and her fiancé Hoa Nguyen of Chicago, IL, and Kellie Clark of Cartersville, GA. Margaret also is survived by her six great-grandchildren, Drake and Jacob Brush of White, GA; twins Victor and Griffin Grossnickle of Charleston, SC; and twins Alice and Charlotte Daly of Atlanta. GA.
Margaret and Page raised their three daughters in Bedford, Ohio, and moved their family to Atlanta, GA, in 1971. After living in Michigan, again in Ohio, and then southern California, they returned to live in Emerson, GA, in 1989 when Page retired. Margaret was a devoted wife, mother, homemaker, and community volunteer. Her family always came first and, after her daughters became adults, Margaret turned her passion and devotion to family toward her grandchildren. She and Page traveled across the country to be present for each grandchild’s birth and remained for a few weeks to help their daughters settle in with their new babies. Baba’s grandchildren remember her as always learning what they were interested in and sharing in their lives. Whether it was horseback riding, fly fishing, baseball, fast-pitch softball, competitive swimming, the genome project, alternative energy, export trade security, or traveling abroad, Baba immersed herself in her grandchildren’s pursuits and became their #1 supporter just as she was for her three daughters.
Margaret was most recently active as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Bartow County and was awarded CASA of the Year for her consistent devotion to her CASA kids. Her attention to detail, persistent oversight, and genuine love and caring positively impacted the lives of many children in state custody and insured they knew there was at least one person in their corner advocating for their well-being. Her passion for making sure all children feel safe and cared for was rooted in her personal experience as an orphan at a young age. Margaret was also involved during the early years of the Etowah Valley Humane Society and served several years as secretary on the Board of Directors. Always an animal lover, Margaret and Page had dogs before they had children. Margaret failed miserably at her one attempt as a fur-baby foster parent when the momma cat she fostered along with her four newly born kittens never made their way back to the shelter. She kept the mother and two of the kittens and talked one of her daughters into taking the other two kittens.
A private service will be held for Margaret’s family on November 6th at Sunset Memorial Gardens to celebrate Margaret’s amazing life.
In lieu of flowers, Margaret’s family encourages you to consider becoming a CASA through Advocates for Children, adopt a shelter pet, spay or neuter your pets, donate books to your neighborhood school or library, or be a mentor to a teenaged child. Most of all, be sure to love your loved ones deeply, because you just don’t know when you will lose the opportunity to let them know how important they are to you.
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