For Margarette Williamson, a dietitian and nutritionist, living healthy wasn’t a catch phrase. It was a way of life. And it was something she approached from a holistic perspective, with the hope of giving her clients their best chance at better lives.
“I would say she was a seeker (of information) and a healer, but definitely a healer,” said Estelle Ford-Williamson, her sister-in-law. “She wanted to see people at their best level of health.”
For more than 30 years, Margarette Williamson Robinson worked diligently to help people improve their quality of life, with a goal of living longer and healthier. She was still advising clients when she suffered an intracranial aneurism and subsequent stroke on Sept. 15. She was unable to recover, her sister-in-law said, and died Sept. 24 at Emory University Hospital. She was 63.
Her body was cremated by A.S. Turner & Sons, Decatur, and a memorial celebration will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Atlanta Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Decatur.
Known widely by her maiden name, Ms. Williamson married Grover Robinson in the late ‘90s, Mrs. Ford-Williamson said. Mr. Robinson, who lived in Murphy, N.C., died in 2003.
Ms. Williamson was born and raised in Avondale Estates, where her parents grew their own fruit and vegetables, Mrs. Ford-Williamson said. Ms. Williamson, a 1967 graduate of Avondale High School, took what she learned at home and pursued it academically. With a biology degree earned form Earlham College and a master’s degree in public health and nutrition from the University of North Carolina, she added dietetics courses from Georgia State University and built a career as a registered dietitian and nutritionist.
Before starting her private practice, she worked in Grady Hospital’s maternal and infant care project for the Georgia Department of Human Resources’ family health programs and was a consultant with area physicians and nursing homes.
Ms. Williamson would go to great lengths to make sure her clients could follow their food plans, her sister-in-law said. She’d lead tours through Atlanta-area grocery stores, helping people pick out food that was not only healthy but conducive to their lifestyle.
“Margarette listened well and she could help people see things in a way that fit their lives, that fit their goals and help them over any obstacles in their situation,” said Dr. Mildred “Missy” Cody, a retired GSU professor in dietetics.
In the early 90’s she participated in a year-long heath project with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she helped several readers loose weight and follow a path to healthier living though improved nutrition.
“She had so much knowledge,” Mrs. Ford-Williamson said. “And I can tell you, we were all expecting her to help guide us through our nutrition in our old age.”
Ms. Williamson is survived by her brothers, Robert Williamson and Richard Williamson, both of Avondale Estates, four stepchildren and a step-granddaughter.
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