Margaret (Cahill) STURGES

STURGES, CAHILL, BEECHER, NASH, PHILPOTT, HANFELT, SMITH

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 7/25/2011 at 18:31:41

February 24, 1925 --- July 24, 2011

Margaret “Mary” Sturges, 86, of Rockwell, Iowa died Sunday, July 24, 2011 at the Rockwell Community Nursing Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am, Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 305 Elm Street E in Rockwell with Fathers Dennis Cahill and Rodney Allers as celebrants. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Rockwell. Visitation will be from 4:00 until 8:00 pm Tuesday with a Scripture Service at 4:30 p.m. at the Sacred Heart School. For those desiring, memorials may be made to the family.

Mary was born on February 24, 1925 in rural Cartersville, Iowa, one of eleven children of John and Ella (Beecher) Cahill. She attended Iowa State Teachers College and taught rural school in Clear Lake and in the Belmond and Rockwell School Districts. She was united in marriage to John Sturges on October 8, 1949 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rockwell. The couple moved to Rockwell where Mary has lived ever since. Mary was a member of Sacred Heart Church and participated in the Women’s Auxiliary. She loved going dancing at the Surf and Turf Ballrooms. She liked eating out and had many meals at the Troika Restaurant, but also enjoyed baking lots of cookies for her family. Mary was very involved in 4-H, serving on the Youth Council and acted as a club leader for 19 years, plus was an honorary Chapter Farmer in FFA. In her retirement, she also led an active life. She picked up the games of golf and shuffleboard and became quite a good player. John and Mary enjoyed traveling around the United States, Jamaica and the Virgin Islands. They had a summer home in Baudette, MN and spent a lot of time on Lake of the Woods fishing. They also wintered in Weslaco, TX. Mary was a lifelong community volunteer, both in Rockwell and Weslaco, and could always be counted on to lend a hand.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents; husband, John, in 1999; and siblings, Jean Marie, Patrice, Martin, Pat, Mike, Jerry and Helen Nash. Those left to cherish her memory include her children, Dianne (Gary) Philpott of Monona, Peggy (Robert) Hanfelt of Waverly, Jim (Leann) Sturges of Roseville, CA, Steve (Sheree) Sturges of Rockwell and Jane (Fred) Smith of Savage, MN; brother, Edward Cahill of Waterloo; sisters, Tina Sturges of Waverly and Gigi Cahill of Mequon, WI; twelve grandchildren; five great grandchildren; two step-great grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends. Fullerton Funeral Home and Cremation Services 120 S. 3rd St. Rockwell, Iowa.