Margaret King Wisdom

Margaret King Wisdom died June 5, 2026, at the age of 95. She was a devoted artist, legal secretary, church elder, chaplain, wife, mother, and grandmother.

Margaret King was born May 7, 1931, on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Her father, Archibald King, was a colonel in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth (Mayes) King, was a portrait artist.

Margaret graduated from the Sidwell Friends School in 1949. She attended Elmira College and received her bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from the George Washington University in 1953. She pursued her artistic vocation throughout her life, first in sculpture and later in painting. She was an officer of and a regular exhibitor with the Miniature Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers Society of Greater Washington.

Margaret married Donald Wisdom, a career Library of Congress employee, on Valentine’s Day 1953. Together they raised three sons. After Donald’s death in 1997, she married Edward Bassett in 2005. They enjoyed 12 happy years together.

Margaret worked for the American Mercury Insurance Company, the Scripps-Howard News Service, and the GTE Corporation. She worked in campaign finance for former Rep. Connie Morella of Maryland.

Margaret was a deacon and elder at Georgetown Presbyterian Church in D.C. She chaired the D.C. General Hospital Protestant Chaplain’s Fund. At the age of 69 she enrolled in Wesley Theological Seminary and received her Master of Arts degree in 2004. Subsequently, she served more than a decade as a volunteer chaplain at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.

Margaret was predeceased by her parents, her brothers Frank and Bob, her husbands Donald and Ed, and her son John. She is survived by her brother Charles W. King, her sons Alan (Esther) and David (Laurie) Wisdom and her grandchildren Esther L. Wisdom and Daniel Wisdom.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 29, at 2:00 p.m. at Georgetown Presbyterian Church, 3115 P Street NW, Washington, DC. A reception will follow the service.