| Graduation Year | Class of 1943 |
| Date of Birth | Jan 01, 1925 |
| Date of Passing | Dec 14, 2025 |
| About | (no additional information) |
| Events | Margaret A. (Margarita) Wilson age 100, passed away peacefully on December 14th at Longevity Residential Care group home in Reno, Nevada. She was celebrated at age 100 with a special New Year’s Day “Margarita” birthday party with family and friends at Applebee’s in Sparks where she and her daughter were frequent visitors. We learned that this milestone age is reached by only 0.03% of Americans and we were privileged to share this special event with her! Margaret was born January 1, 1925 in Fernley, Nevada and was the first born child of eight to parents Isabel and Florencio Arenas. Margaret graduated from Sparks High School in 1943 and lived in Los Angeles, CA during her early adult years before returning to NV with her first born son. Margaret married her beloved husband Ben R. Wilson in 1949 and they lived together in their Sparks, NV home for 58 years. She was a devoted wife, mother and homemaker. She took pride in her home, loved caring for her beautiful garden roses and would always have a fresh pot of coffee and possibly home made baked pie for visitors. Margaret was a faithful member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on Pyramid Way which at the time was just a short three block walk from her home to attend Sunday mass, as she never had a driver’s license. In 2022 when the historic church was demolished, her family was able to save one brick to protect and display this connection to her life and local history. The Southern Pacific Railroad would play a big part in her life and in turn she and her family shared a part in the railroad history of Sparks. In the early 1940’s as a young woman Margaret worked briefly in what was then called the Railroad Roundhouse. Her father Florencio worked on track maintenance for 45 years and her husband Ben worked as a conductor/brakeman for 42 years. In 2025, when the Roundhouse building was demolished to make room for parking, her family collected one of the building bricks to preserve as a cherished tribute to her and the family’s railroad history. Margaret is pre-deceased by her loving husband Ben R. Wilson in 2007 and her first born son Ernest Larry Hall in 2023. She is survived by her daughter Marcia Thomsen of Reno and her son Fred Wilson (Jill) of Fernley. She also leaves six grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Her last remaining sibling, Madalena Dunn passed away in 2025 at age 97. She was also predeceased by brothers Ricardo and Roberto and sisters Stella, Julia and Marie and a brother Jose who died in childhood. Our family would like to thank Sam and all the caregivers at Longevity Residential for their wonderful care and support for our Mom during the past five years. A memorial service is planned for January 9, 2026 at 11am at Waltons Funeral Home 875 W. 2nd Street, Reno. Burial will be afterward at Mountain View Cemetery, 435 Stoker Ave. Reno. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Catholic Charities of Nevada or Food Bank of Northern NV. |
