Margaret Ridge Grier, 89, of Lexington, passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.

Margaret was the youngest of twin daughters born on February 9, 1936, in Wise County, Virginia, to the late Numa Edison Ridge and Amanda Myers Ridge.

She was a graduate of Tennessee High School in Bristol and earned her bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University. She continued her education, ultimately receiving a PhD in Nursing. Margaret retired as Associate Dean of Nursing at the University of Kentucky, where she led the doctoral program and played a key role in establishing the Midwifery Program in Eastern Kentucky.

After decades devoted to nursing and teaching, Margaret found her greatest joy and true calling in caring for her grandchildren. For the next 24 years, Ben and Amanda were the bright light of her life. Bubble baths, outdoor adventures, a love of reading, and teaching them to cook were among her many specialties, all carried out with deep love and devotion.

Margaret is survived by her husband of 63 years, Brown Grier; her daughter, Donna Payne, and her partner, Brian Tyler, all of Lexington; and her beloved grandchildren, Benjamin Payne and Amanda Payne, also of Lexington. She is additionally survived by cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her twin sister, Mildred Carpenter of Dunn, North Carolina, and her son, James "Jamie" Grier, who passed away in 2006.

A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.