Margaret Townsend

Margaret Emily Townsend was born January 9th, 1915, in Spink County, South Dakota, north of Redfield, to Averna and Harriett Augusta McWilliams Townsend. She was a child of The Great Depression, and was raised in a loving family on more than eleven different farms. She learned firsthand the meanings of hard work and sacrifice during her formative years. Being determined to pursue a college degree, she left home following her graduation from Revillo High School, and enrolled at Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa. She paid for her entire college education by working numerous jobs while a full-time student, including late evening hours in the campus laundry service, and early morning shifts in the student cafeteria. Midway through completing her undergraduate studies, Margaret took a leave of absence to care for her cancer-stricken mother. Following the passing of her mother in 1938, she returned to LeMars, and graduated from Westmar College with a degree in Science Education in 1940. Having earned her college degree, Margaret moved to Milbank, South Dakota, where she worked in a bakery for several months. She then moved to Roseau, Minnesota, where she accepted her first teaching position in the fall of 1940. She taught there until 1943. She spent the following academic year teaching in Springfield, Minnesota, before enlisting in the U.S. Navy, in 1944. She served her country in the Medical Corps with the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), caring for soldiers in the brain surgery ward of Bethesda Naval Hospital, in Maryland. While there, her tenacious spirit and no-nonsense demeanor earned her the nickname, "Tuffy Townsend." Following an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1947, she taught for three years in West Bend, Iowa. She then moved to Barnum, Minnesota, and taught there for one year before enrolling as a graduate student at the University of South Dakota, in Vermillion. While there, she earned a Master's degree in Science Education, with a concentration in Zoology. She also completed much of the required coursework in the university's doctoral program. In the fall of 1953, Margaret accepted a teaching position in Lamberton, Minnesota, and taught there for the remainder of her illustrious career, reluctantly retiring from teaching in 1985. Margaret rented an apartment in Lamberton for a quarter of a century before mustering the courage to purchase her first home in 1978. She truly enjoyed working in her garden, trimming trees with her chain saw, and mowing the grass. Her backyard had a small pond for her beloved turtles, and her rooms and hallways were always filled to capacity with the many varieties of plants she had grown. During the long Minnesota winters, she worked inside making numerous home improvements. Unfortunately, health problems - some of which stemmed from a serious trampoline injury she suffered while teaching physical education - prevented her from completely remodeling her home as she had dreamed of doing. Margaret was passionate about teaching, but she also loved to learn. And over the years, she attended many summer school sessions throughout the country, most of which were sponsored by the National Science Foundation and by the Nobel Foundation. She also learned to fly airplanes, and was very proud of the fact that she had earned her pilot's license decades before she had received her first driver's license. Margaret was incredibly generous, and she was quick to make clear that money is not the root of all evil; but rather, it is the love of money from which all evil seems to flow. Her generosity, coupled with her love for children, inspired her to sponsor dozens of underprivileged children, over many years, in countries throughout the world. She loved these children as if they were her own, and they loved her, as well. She also funded the college tuitions of numerous young men and women whom, without her financial backing, would not have been able to afford post-secondary educations. Her altruism flowed from a pure and devoted Christian heart, without fanfare or recognition. That was the manner in which she believed God wanted it to be, and that is the way she chose to live her entire life. Margaret had one older brother, Glen Donald, who passed away on January 9th, 1977, in Myrtle Creek, Oregon. She also had one older sister, Martha Jane Townsend Ruby, who passed away on February 10th, 1998, at her home in Antelope Valley Township, Deuel County, South Dakota. Her parents, one nephew, and one niece, also preceded her in death. She leaves behind four nieces, one nephew, many great-nieces and nephews, a few great-great nieces and nephews, and many, many, dear friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Children Incorporated, 4205 Dover Road, Richmond, Virginia, 23221-3267. Visitation 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Wednesday, July 17, 2013 Sturm Funeral Home, Lamberton Chapel 502 S. Main Lamberton, Minnesota, United States 56152 Service Information 4:00 pm Wednesday, July 17, 2013 Sturm Funeral Home, Lamberton Chapel 502 S. Main Lamberton, Minnesota, United States 56152