Vera Joy Margolis, age 94, passed away quietly on Saturday evening, November 13, 2021, with her two children by her side. Vera, born September 13, 1927, in Los Angeles, CA, was the youngest child out of three of Leopold and Bertha Friedman. She and her husband of 68 years, Albert “Aggie” Margolis, moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County in 1960. An accomplished and celebrated artist, Vera was honored as First Lady by the Santa Ynez Valley Artists Guild in March of 2008. She joined the Artists Guild in 1973, soon after it was formed. Vera, after serving in various positions on the board, was instrumental in setting up the Guild’s highly successful scholarship program. Years later she had a one-woman art show
in Buellton.
On May 4, 1947, Vera married the love of her life and best friend, Aggie Margolis. Originally only a family friend, Aggie wooed her by reciting the poem “Charge of the Light Brigade.” They had two children, Ron and Susie, both born in Los Angeles. Both Vera and Aggie had a love of dance and were involved with folk dance groups in northern Santa Barbara County. In the early 1960s she won a twist contest in the Santa Ynez Valley and her love of music inspired her to join a local choir and sing in the Valley. She and her husband Aggie were two of the first members of the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community in the 1970s.
Vera is survived by her two children, Ron Margolis and Susie Pierson, her five grandchildren, Danny Margolis, Jennie Pierson, Aliza Simburger, Zachary Pierson and Simon Margolis, and her two great-grandchildren, Lani and Curren. There was a graveside service Tuesday, November 16 at Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard. Donations in Vera’s memory can be made to Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community, P.O. Box 135, Los Olivos, CA 93441-0135 or via their website www.syvjc.org. Loper Funeral Chapel, Directors
