Margaret Tracy

Margarets Life by Anne Tracy Carlson
Margaret Frances Thompson was born on January 25, 1914 to John and Maggie (Margaret) Thompson on their farm in Ellsworth, IA. She was the youngest of 11 children, all of whom (and their spouses) preceded her in death. Margaret was truly the end of an era.
After high school graduation in 1932, she tried a semester at St. Olaf College, but it was just too far away from home. She then started at Iowa State College for 1 years, majoring in nutrition. She left college during the depression and opened a tea room at the YWCA in Fort Dodge, IA with some help from her sister Mae. This is where she met Roland Tracy, a signal maintainer with the Illinois Central Railroad. They were married in Missouri in April, 1940, and moved to Denison in 1947. Their only child Lillian Anne was born in 1944. In 1940 they bought their one and only home on Avenue B, where Margaret lived until she moved to the Reed House in 2004.
Margaret was born into a Norwegian Lutheran family where being Lutheran was as important as being Norwegian. I liked to joke that they were Lutheran since Martin Luther, and Christian since the first missionary hit Norway. Margaret joined Zion Lutheran Church upon moving to Denison and quickly became an active member of the Ladies Aid. I especially remember the annual county fair where the women had a mini-restaurant booth to raise fund for missionary support. Those maid-rite sandwiches and home baked pies were a sellout every year, but oh the flies and heat were fierce!
She also became a member of the Community Chest Board for several years, but her greatest impact was in Girl Scouting. She was her daughter Annes troop leader for 10 years, and is still fondly remembered by many of the girls in the troop. Maxine Jahnke was her co-leader for most of this time, and a good friend.
When Anne went off to college, Margaret became an Avon Lady for over 23 years. Her beloved husband, Rolly, died at an early age from cancer in 1968. Avon then became her lifeline, as Anne was living in Washington, D.C. at the time. She also loved playing bridge and was so excited to learn duplicate when an instructor came into town. She was a devoted member of the Marathon Bridge group and played in a few Masters tournaments. She played bridge until she was almost 90 years old.
Margaret moved into the Reed House on her 90th birthday with the help of Anne and her husband Jim, and Jeremy, her only grandson, and his fianc Carla. Jeremy and Carla were married in 2004, and a great-granddaughter, Grace, was born in 2007. She became the light of Margarets life with her pictures decorating the walls and shelves of Margarets apartment.