A spokesperson for 'The Simpsons' confirms that the mother of the show's creator Matt Groening passes away in Portland.
- May 8, 2013
AceShowbiz - "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening mourns the death of his mother Margaret Groening who passed away in her sleep on April 22. She was 94. "The Simpsons" character Marge was named after her. A spokesperson for "The Simpsons" confirmed the passing. However, Matt was not available for comments.
Margaret's passing was informed in The Oregonian obituary on May 6, which was also posted online. According to the obituary, Margaret was born as Wiggum on March 30, 1919. Her parents met in a boat when they migrated to the U.S. from Norway. Margaret taught English before she got married to her classmate Homer Groening. She decided to marry Homer because he made her laugh a lot.
Margaret is survived by her brother Arnold; her children Mark, Matt, Lisa, Maggie; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Homer, who was a World War II veteran, passed away in 1996. Margaret's daughter Patty, who inspired the name Aunt Patty, passed away in January 2013.
Fans of the animated show left warm-hearted comments in the obituary guest book. A fan, Julie Burkhart, wrote, "What a shame. She was a delightful woman. I hope one of the grandchildren got that beautiful blue hair. It would be a shame if her lovely features were not passed down to someone in the family." Another fan John McFarland left a comment, "RIP Margaret. You may have been born a Wiggum, and married a Groening, but you died a Simpson."
