Margaret M. Pickering

Portsmouth - Margaret Mildred Bridge passed peacefully on March 16th at the age of 97. Born March 11, 1928, in St Helen’s, England and only child to Mary Agnes and Joseph Bridge. She was also known by many as Maggie, Millie, to our father as Mildred, and Nanny to her grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Forest, in February 2024. A few of her many jobs growing up in England was as a ticket bus monitor, where she met the Beatles before they were popular and always threatened to throw them off her bus for being too noisy. She later worked in the Land Army for England during the war. She met Forest E. Pickering when stationed in England, while serving in the Air Force. They married on July 22, 1950. They traveled throughout their marriage while in the Air Force. Margaret is survived by their four children, Shelley (Pickering) Nicholson, born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts living in Kittery, ME, twins, Michael Pickering and Michelle (Pickering) Kemp born in Hahn, Germany; Michael and his wife Susan (Dillard) Pickering of Milton, NH, Michelle (Pickering) Kemp and husband Les Kemp of Vero Beach, FL and David Pickering born in Orlando, FL.; and his wife Donna (Miller) Pickering of Portsmouth, NH. They also lived in California, Okinawa, Arkansas, and Maine before making their home in Portsmouth, NH upon the retirement from the Air Force of husband, Forest. They also have five grandchildren, Megan (Thompson) Rigler and Tim Rigler of Seattle Washington, M. Andrew Thompson and Kait (Chaffee) Thompson of Exeter, NH, Kevin Nicholson, Berwick Maine, Mitchell Pickering, and sister Ashley Pickering of Seabrook, NH and two great-grandchildren, M. Aidan and Connor Thompson, sons of M. Andrew and Kait Thompson. Maggie worked at Rosa’s Italian Restaurant in Portsmouth as a bartender where she delighted patrons for many years and always had words of wisdom, wit as sharp as a knife and could take a joke, but much better at delivering them. Laughter was her middle name. She was an avid gardener and loved seeing the winter ground turn into spring and the delights of her work enjoyed well past fall. Her grandchildren loved her playful ways and have treasured memories of Nanny singing English folk songs and hearing about her growing up in Great Britain and miss giving each other the giggles and her laughter. All services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N Michigan Ave. Floor 17 Chicago, IL 60601 or online by clicking here.

Margaret M. Pickering

March 11, 1928 - March 16, 2025