RUPERT, Margaret M. 1918-2006

RUPERT

Posted By: Gordon Felland (email)
Date: 2/8/2006 at 16:47:41

Margaret Matilda Jurgens Rupert, 88, of Northwood, died Sunday (Jan. 29, 2006) at the Lutheran Retirement Home in Northwood.

Funeral services for Margaret will be 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Northwood United Methodist Church, 1000 First Ave. N., Northwood, with the Rev. Wendi Gillan officiating. Interment will take place at Sunset Rest Cemetery in Northwood. Visitation will begin noon Thursday at the church.

Margaret Matilda Jurgens, the third of six sisters, was born on Jan. 25, 1918, in Franklin County, Iowa, to Caroline Louise Plagge and Jerry Cornelius Jurgens. She left her earthly life on Jan. 29, 2006, at 88 years old. Margaret was baptized on May 31, 1918, as Margareta Mathilde Jurgens, named after her dad’s oldest sister, Margareta, and her mother’s oldest sister, Mathilda. She grew up on a farm near Latimer. Throughout her growing up years, she had many farm chores to complete each day, but enjoyed ice skating in the winter on Sunday afternoons and delighted in homemade ice cream and corn on the cob. At 12 years old, she caught her first fish at Beads Lake. Her favorite holiday was Christmas, where fond memories were gathered at the German Reformed Church near Sheffield where she sang German Christmas carols on Christmas Eve. Margaret attended high school in Latimer and participated in high school plays. She attended Central College in Pella and taught grades one through eight in the country schools in Franklin County for four years. During the next seven years, she taught in the public schools of Zearing, Huxley and Dayton before joining the teaching staff at Northwood as a sixth-grade junior high teacher in the late 1940s. She also taught at Hanlontown.

Margaret married Howard Alexander Rupert on Aug. 23, 1950, in an Oklahoma City, Okla. Methodist church. They enjoyed summer fishing trips together in northern Minnesota until the time of Howard’s death in November 1974. Margaret was a preschool special education aide in Mason City for eight years. After retiring, she traveled to Jerusalem in 1984 and in 1994 participated in a mission trip to Costa Rica. In 1995c she had heart bypass surgery and over four years later suffered from a stroke. During her many years in Northwood she volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, a Girl and Boy Scout leader, church circle member and held various offices of the Methodist Women.

Margaret is survived by twin sons, Fred and Jerry Rupert of Des Moines; a daughter, Janelle Johnson (Dennis) of Northwood; a step-daughter, Nancy Lucarini (Phillip) of Fairfield Bay, Ark.; grandchildren, Jay Johnson of Chicago, Jack Johnson of Story City, Ben Johnson of Northwood, Brock Johnson of Northwood; brother-in-law, Milt Mussehl of Story City; sister-in-law, Anabel Hess of Fort Smith, Ark.; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; infant brother; sister-in-law, Jane Hendrix; five sisters, Wilma Koenen, Leona Mollenbeck, Ruth Aalbers, Evelyn Hovey, Dorothy Mussehl; and four brothers-in-law, Bert Koenen, Ted Mollenbeck, Max Aalbers and Munson Hovey.

Margaret was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Margaret “Marge” will be remembered for her pleasant attitude in the face of adversity and her sweet laugh. The last year of her life was spent at the Lutheran Retirement Home in Northwood where she highly enjoyed participating in activities and interacting with the staff. She will be greatly missed.

Source: Mason City Globe Gazette, Feb. 1, 2006