Margaret Ellen Garrison 1924-2011

GARRISON JACOBA GRAY

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 6/20/2011 at 15:04:52

Sioux City Journal
4 May 2011

DANBURY, Iowa -- Margaret E. Garrison, 87, of Danbury passed away April 15, 2011, at a Sioux City hospital following a lengthy illness.

Graveside services will be at a later date. Armstrong Funeral Home of Mapleton and Danbury, Iowa, is handling the arrangements.

Margaret Ellen Garrison was born Jan. 19, 1924, at Pisgah, Iowa, the daughter of Charles "Still" and Myrtle (Jacoba) Gray. She was raised in the Onawa, Iowa, area, where she also received her education.

She married Harold Murdock and six children were born to this union. The couple farmed and raised their children in the Rodney, Iowa, area.

She later met and married Wilbert Garrison and made their home in California. Wil passed away in 1992. Margaret moved to Colorado to live near her son. Due to declining health and the urge to live once again in Iowa, in May 2010, Margaret moved to Danbury where her daughter resides.

She was a mother and homemaker first and also worked as a CNA in the old Onawa Hospital. She had two special pets while in Colorado, Peco, her cockateal, and Gypsy, her little dog. She made everybody laugh when she went on her outings to the beauty shop and shopping.

Survivors include three daughters, Mavis Newman and her husband, Jerry of Madrid, Iowa, Sharon Little and her husband, Richard of Danbury, and Sandy Myers and her husband, John of Davie, Fla.; three sons, Harold Murdock of Jacksonville, Fla., Michael Murdock and his wife, Carol of Broomfield, Colo., and Peter James Murdock of Lyons, Neb.; 18 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; three sisters, Ruby Clark of Onawa, Iowa, Kathryn Juhl and her husband, Bill of Atlantic, Iowa, and Irene Martin of Pennsylvania; three brothers, Floyd Gray and his wife, Charlote of Sutter Creek, Calif., Arlie Gray and his wife, Trudy of Magnolia, Texas, and Lawrence Gray of Senora, Calif.

Margaret was preceded in death by both of her husbands; four brothers, James, John, Donald and Dorman Gray; and two sisters, Ruth Wiltfong and Dora May Steward.