Margo Lynne Gresham
Margo Lynne Gresham (April 13, 1967 – March 23, 2024) passed away suddenly on March 23, 2024, at home and surrounded by her cats. She was 56 years old and the loving daughter of Anne and Mike Gresham of Paris, Kentucky. She is survived by her parents Anne and Mike Gresham, the Friess family of Lexington, Kentucky, the Sailors family of Lexington, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee, the Watson family of Atlanta, Georgia and Destin, Florida, the Lane family of Douglasville, Georgia, the Radford family of Powder Springs, Georgia, the Pickard family of Union Mills, North Carolina, and numerous loving friends from across the United States.
Margo graduated from John McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, then attended Kennesaw College where she made the Dean’s List, then attended the University of Tennessee. She spent most of her life following her passion for rescuing and saving animals. She received a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement from the American Veterinary Medical Association for serving as a member of the Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT), a team of specialized animal rescue members trained to respond to disasters. She spent months rescuing animals after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Florence in 2018, and many others. She was pictured in a documentary named “The Fire Cats-Save Something Small”. She was certified in Swift Water Rescue and served as the main disaster rescue advisor and leader for ASSERT (Animal Survival & Safety Emergency Response Team) who recently deployed to Ukraine and used drones to locate and rescue animals in war zones. Over many years, she assisted and advised many animal rescue groups across the United States which are too numerous to name. Her current project was working with ASSERT and advising other animal rescue groups during and after the fires in Maui, Hawaii, such as Save Maui Cats, and Hawaii Animal Kuleana Alliance. She worked relentlessly day and night to rescue animals and to re-unite animals with their owners.
Margo was a Kentucky Certified Firefighter and enjoyed the camaraderie of volunteering with the Little Rock Volunteer Fire Department and North Middletown Fire Department. The firefighters were family to her.
Margo loved horses and specialized in foaling thoroughbred mares. She was said to have a special sense about mares and their foaling patterns. She performed foaling for 8 years at Woodline Farm in Paris and loved the Lane family who owns the farm. There she had a very special assistant, “Five Star”, a cat she loved dearly. Five Star was dedicated to helping Margo and always waiting to welcome her to her barn.
A Celebration of Life is being planned for this summer and will be announced in the future. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Margo’s name to PAWS (Paris Animal Welfare Society), the Humane Society of Louisiana, or an animal shelter of your choice.
