Margaret Mortensen

Mary (Margaret) Mortensen was born on July 1, 1923 on the family farm near Westfield, Iowa to Earl and Etti (Campbell) Michael. She was baptized and confirmed at Westfield Congregational United Church of Christ. She attended school in Westfield, graduating in the class of 1940. She then attended Iowa State Teachers College, Westmar College and completed her degree at Buena Vista College.

Margaret was united in marriage to Paul C. Mortensen in 1947. They made their home in rural Alta, where Paul was a farmer and Margaret taught school. Mrs. Mortensen was a teacher at both Fairview and Alta and never met a child she didn’t enjoy teaching. She taught every elementary grade and especially loved teaching science. Mrs. Mortensen believed in allowing her students to experiment and her classroom provided lots of “hands on” experiences. Margaret was also known for her garden and the many things she preserved. She love d to cook and often passed her recipes on to others. Paul passed away on March 11, 1997.

Margaret was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Alta. She belonged to Lydia Circle and was a Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teacher. Margaret sang in the choir and was happy when the entire pew held members of her family. Margaret was a true teacher. When asked if she would be willing to teach Sunday School, her reply was “if I can’t teach the children about the Lord on Sunday, the other five school days aren’t as important, are they?” Margaret was involved in Presbyterian Women and was honored to organize the first alumni banquets for both Fairview and Highview Schools held in her church.

She belonged to many organizations involving education. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma (key women educators), PEO, Nokomis Study Club and Daughters of the American Revolution. Margaret loved to read and has a collection of bells and tea sets. She was preceeded in death by her parents; her husband; brother Robert Michael; parents-in-law William and Carrie Mortensen, sister and brother in law Vera and Virgil Ross, brother-in-law Johnny Ferguson, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Wilna and Bernie Johnson, sister-in-law Eunice Mortensen and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Keith (Pep) and Annie Mortensen.

Margaret is survived by her sons, Doug (Ida) Mortensen of Forsyth, IL and Dave (Deb) Mortensen of Alta; her grandchildren Brandon (Natalie) of Southlake, TX and Kristin (Jeff Tertel) of Philadelphia, PA. Other survivors include her great-grandchildren (who fondly called her “Purple” Grandma), Amanda and James Mortensen of Southlake, TX; her sister, Gertrude Ferguson of Wichita Falls, TX, sister-in-law Elaine Michael of Akron, IA and brother-in-law Ray Mortensen of Alta. Margaret will be dearly missed by many nieces, nephews and friends. * Memorials can be directed to the First Presbyterian Church of Alta or the Midwest Christian Children’s Home of rural Peterson