Margaret “Margo” Bullock Wade, 62, of Warren, Vermont, passed away peacefully at home on January 19, 2026, following a courageous battle with ovarian cancer.
Born in Worcester, MA, on January 31,1963, to Augustus “Gus” George Bullock Jr. and Elizabeth “Beth” Lund Bullock, Margo grew up in a tightknit community of family and friends in Princeton, exploring the trails of Blueberry Hill, Wachusett Mountain, the Mad River Valley and the waters of Narragansett Bay around Jamestown, RI. “Gogo” and her three siblings were raised with a strong appreciation for family, outdoor adventure, and the practical skills to solve just about any issue with creativity, common sense, duct tape, and a can of old hardware bits.
Margo attended Bancroft School and graduated from Wachusett Regional High School in 1982. She spent the next five years skiing around New England, especially the Mad River Valley, with adventures west to Copper Mountain and Crested Butte, Colorado. As a kid, she learned to sail and race on Sugarbush, a 30-foot Shields sloop that was owned by the Bullocks and two other Jamestown and Mad River Valley families. That prepared her to join the crew of Tivoli, a 72-foot Sangermani yawl, aboard which she worked for a year, sailing around the Caribbean and New England. In 1992 she enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst as a gritty and persistent non-traditional student. After building her community through potlucks, mountain biking, environmentalism, trail work, and music, she proudly graduated in 1997 with a degree in Natural Resources and a minor in Environmental Sciences.
Margo met Geoff Wade in 1994 through a shared love of mountain biking, and they moved to Warren, VT, in 1998. Margo worked for the town of Warren Planning and Zoning Office until 2003, where she chaired the Conservation Commission, the Board of Civil Authority, and was a Justice of the Peace. This work helped to develop her passion for civic engagement, empowering local citizens to take an active role in building and stewarding community and natural resources.
Margo and Geoff were married in 1999 and continued mountain biking and skiing together in The Valley and beyond. As they prepared to welcome their twin sons, Jackson and Ross, in 2004, they tore down the old rustic Bullock family house in Warren to build their home while both worked full time. They moved into the new garage and studio shortly after the boys were born, and into the house in 2007.
In 2003, Margo joined Sugarbush Resort as the resort planner, where she was able to perfectly blend her experience as a skier, environmentalist, municipal employee and engaged citizen for the benefit of the resort and local community alike. She brought to bear her planning and compliance expertise to help transform Sugarbush into the modern resort that exists today. During her 22-year career at Sugarbush, Margo left a mark on every building, chair lift, stream, sidewalk, the water in the taps and in the snow guns. She championed the resort’s environmental impact, overseeing solar projects, managing waste streams, and creating the Resort’s “Trash Talkers” program. She spearheaded a partnership with the Mad River Valley Bear Initiative, and led the annual Green Up Day, among other initiatives. She sought out ways for the resort to support and contribute to the greater Mad River Valley community and found novel ways to make Sugarbush one of most sustainable resorts in the Alterra Mountain Company portfolio.
Margo was ambitious and held herself and those around her to very high standards. She pushed Sugarbush and the greater Valley community to innovate and improve their environmental stewardship. Her personal and professional conservation efforts knew no bounds, from her veggie diesel VW in the 2000s, to the bear safety dumpster video in which she recently starred. They were surpassed only by her love of and faith in family, community, and humankind. She was a willing and respected mentor for many in her circle, eager to listen, share ideas and problem-solve through all life and career stages.
Her heart and her door were open to all those who came into her orbit. There was always room at the house for anyone in town, whether for a meal, a night, or to catch your breath and fix a flat on the way over the gap. Margo lived her life ready for an adventure, whether a morning ski with The Breakfast Babes, a long bike ride, a sail, or a Newport harbor tour.
Throughout Margo’s journey with cancer, she was supported by family and her very strong and unstoppable group of friends: driving to appointments, bringing many delicious meals, joining her for midday walks, and going to concerts all over New England.
A brave, creative and curious woman, Margo lived each day to the fullest. She was an inspiration to all who knew and loved her. She was incredibly proud of the family she and Geoff built with Jackson and Ross. Perhaps her greatest joy came from watching the boys grow up, as they charted their own paths through Warren School, Harwood and into early adulthood.
In addition to her sons, Ross and Jackson, and her husband, Geoff, Margo leaves behind her mother Beth Bullock, of Brunswick, Maine, her siblings Liza Chandler, of North Yarmouth, Maine, Geo Bullock (Ginny) of Crested Butte, Colorado, Nina Bullock Lutz (Jörg) of Ofterdingen, Germany and and her aunt, Prim Bullock of Jamestown, RI. She also leaves behind nieces, nephews, two great nieces, a great nephew and countless cousins and friends to whom her door was always open.
Donations in Margo’s honor can be made to the Mad River Valley Community Fund (P.O. Box 353, Waitsfield, VT 05673) or another charity of your choice.
A celebration of Margo’s life will be held in The Valley this spring. Details will be published at a later date.
