Remembering Margaret ‘Midge’ Wholey, APAH Co-Founder, 1935-2023
Anniversary celebration in 2014.
Midge Wholey passed away peacefully on March 4, 2023. We honor Midge as one of the eight co-founders of APAH.
Midge was an activist who was engaged in her community, and addressed issues like social justice and poverty. She met her husband, Joe, at Catholic University in the 1950s; since then, Midge and Joe continually worked to serve their community and help others.
With three other couples and dear friends, Tom and Dolores Leckey, Rhoda and Bill Nary, and Jean and Jack Sweeney, Joe and Midge studied Economic Justice for All: A Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy. The four couples met monthly for book reflections, political discussions, personal sharing, and prayer. Over dinner and discussion, they contemplated what the readings called them to do, and from these convenings, the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing was born.
Jean Sweeney at the Columbia Hills grand
opening celebration in 2019.
From the beginning, it was a team effort. Jean recalls Midge finding the Irish proverb that became a part of the new organization’s first logo: In the shelter of each other, the people live. More than 30 years later, APAH is proud to continue the work that Midge and the other APAH founders started; advancing affordable housing, creating equitable communities, and striving for justice.
Please join us in remembering and honoring Midge Wholey. Learn more about Midge’s life and legacy by reading a profile from January 2021 below:
