Margot Wallace Keith

Margot Wallace Keith passed away at her home on March 18, 2024, surrounded by her family. She was 81 years old.

To all who knew her, Margot was a source of strength, wisdom, and love. Her loyalty to her family and friends was boundless, her grace and courage unshakeable. 

Margot was born to Frederick John Wallace and Alma Drabble Wallace on November 2, 1942, in Alexandria, Virginia. Her father was an immigrant from Ireland, a veteran, and an artist, her mother a lifelong student of literature. Margot and her two younger sisters, Nancy and Joan, grew up in Manistee, Michigan. Margot always recalled this time in her life with fondness and affection.

In 1960, Margot enrolled in Smith College, where she majored in Russian Literature. In her junior year, she met Robert Keith Jr., who was a senior at Amherst College. A little over a year later, they were married.

As Robert began his career in business at Fidelity Bank in Philadelphia, Margot cared for their children, Rob and Leslie, made lifelong friends, and became a role model in the community.

Over time, Margot cultivated her love of the arts and literature, volunteering for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and serving on the Committee for the Philadelphia Craft Show and the Board of Directors of the Main Line Art Center. Following in her father’s footsteps, Margot was a talented painter, and like her mother, she was an accomplished pianist. Always an avid reader, Margot had a remarkable depth of knowledge on a wide range of subjects, from Shakespeare to politics and Philadelphia sports teams.

Committed to the greater Philadelphia area, in 2001, Margot joined the Fox Chase Board of Directors (now the Fox Chase Cancer Center Foundation Board), where she served on multiple committees and spearheaded capacity-building initiatives. In receiving the Laurel Society Award in 2013, Margot was described as a dedicated leader, always “passionate and purposeful…focused on doing whatever she [could] to help Fox Chase and its people.”

Yet anyone who knew Margot understood that her first priority was her family. For her children, their children’s spouses, and especially their five grandchildren, Turtle Rock Farm, Margot and Robert’s home in Newtown Square, was not only a second home; it was a sanctuary, a source of joy and inner strength.

Margot was a force of nature. Even as her health declined, her spirit never wavered. She assured her family that she was at peace and that she was not afraid. Her calm resolve was at once astonishing and unsurprising to those who knew and loved her. While Margot’s passing is a devastating loss for her family, they will always be inspired by her fortitude, her dignity, and her deep compassion for others.

Margot is survived by her husband, Robert, her children, Rob and Leslie Keith, her children’s spouses, Kate Keith and John Maki, and their five grandchildren, Sam Keith, Jack Keith, Lindsay Keith, Jay Hulsizer, and Dylan Maki. She is also survived by her two sisters, Nancy Wallace and Joan Hasselback, her cousins, Thomas Godfray and Ann Parker, and their respective families.

Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of Margot’s life at the Main Line Unitarian Church (816 S. Valley Forge Rd) at 11:00 am on Friday, April 26th.

In honor of Margot, her family is establishing The Margot Wallace Keith Fund to support families in need with children who face significant physical or mental health challenges. In lieu of flowers, donations would be gratefully accepted and can be sent to The Margot Wallace Keith Fund, P.O. Box 525, Edgemont, PA 19028. More details will be provided at the celebration of Margot’s life on April 26th and on Legacy.com.