Storylines
Marge first arrives in Albert Square in May 1989 as a friend of Dot Cotton (June Brown) and Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin). Marge works at the Bed & Breakfast as a cleaner, first for Doris then for Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement). When poor health forces Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) to give up working at the launderette, Marge works there in her place for a few months, but always succeeds in muddling up the service washes. Marge is an elderly spinster and as well as her day job cleaning she also holds the position of Brown Owl for the unruly Walford Brownies group. That is until Mo Butcher (Edna Doré) muscles in, and relieves her of her duties. However, Mo is sacked for lying about her age.
Marge is a bit timid and a bit of a soft-touch too, and Mo will regularly boss her around and make her do the scivvying when they are together, although, after a bit of coaxing from Ethel she does manage to stand up to Mo in the end, which stops her bossing (albeit temporarily).
Marge lives at 93 Victoria Road and devotes her life to caring for her sickly 93 year old mother. This is a massive strain on her, particularly when her mother's health suddenly deteriorates after a second stroke in December 1989. Noticing that Marge is becoming exhausted with the palliative care of her mother, her friends, Dot, Ethel and Mo, decide to take her on holiday to Clacton, where they all take part in a dancing competition. Marge attracts the attention of a senior bachelor, Mr Conroy, but she has led a sheltered life and she is far too shy to allow the romance to develop. Nevertheless, Mr Conroy persists and even ends up proposing, which Marge regretfully turns down because of her commitment to her mother. Soon after, however, Marge receives the news that her mother has died and she subsequently decides to accept Mr Conroy's proposal. Unfortunately for Marge, he has already departed, so she returns to Walford nursing a broken heart.
Although Marge is devastated to lose her mother, her friends help her through it and she eventually comes to look forward to a future where she can concentrate on her own needs instead of caring for others. However, the following year, Marge's cousin Fred arrives in Walford and cons her into becoming his invalid mother's companion on a cruise ship. Despite Mo warning her against it, Marge feels obligated to care for her sick relative, so in February 1990 she leaves Walford and has not been seen since.
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