Funeral services were Feb. 3 at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Hartington, with Rev. Amanda Talley officiating. A livestream of the funeral is available to view. The link has been added to obituary on the Wintz Funeral Home website.

Burial was in the Hartington City Cemetery.

Pallbearers were John DeBlauw, Jordan DeBlauw, Brandon Rosberg, Tyler Nicke, Tory Opfer and Mike Goodwin Visitation was Thursday at the Wintz Funeral Home, Hartington, and continued one hour prior to services Friday morning at church. Arrangements were under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home, Hartington.

Margaret was born to John Scott and Vera (Mikkelson) Gray Sept.18, 1936, at the Gray Homestead, south of Lynch. She lived on the farm until 1947, when her family moved into Lynch. Her mother died in 1949, and Margaret, the third oldest child, became the caregiver to her younger sisters. This is where the love of taking care of others started.

Margaret graduated from Lynch High school in 1954, and attended College in Wayne. Receiving her teacher certificate at age 17, Margaret taught school for a couple years at a rural school south of Crofton, followed by a couple years at a rural school in Holt County. While teaching at the rural school south of Crofton, she met her husband Dennis. Margaret and Dennis DeBlauw married Oct. 11, 1958, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Constance. After her marriage, she was mainly focused on raising her family. A true homemaker, she had a large vegetable garden, did lots of canning and did the many other tasks needed to raise seven children. Margaret and Dennis lived south of Crofton until moving to a farm near Fordyce in 1960. In 1977, they moved to Hartington, where they lived until Margaret went to live in the Arbor Care Assisted Living Facility in 2018.

In 1982, Margaret started working at the nursing home in Hartington, where she worked as a CNA until retiring in September 2001.

Margaret was an avid genealogist, she gathered information covering many generations of both her and Dennis’ families. She also loved John Wayne movies, she had a huge collection of John Wayne movies, owning almost all the movies in which he had ever acted. She really enjoyed spending time with her kids and grandkids. Going shopping/garage-saleing and out to eat and visiting over a good cup of coffee were some of her favorite things, as was taking care of her kids and grandkids. Her family was the joy of her life, she loved attending school extracurricular activities in which her children or grandchildren were involved. In her down time, she could usually be found in her garden, taking care of a grandkid or two and maybe going to a few garage sales or watching a John Wayne flick. Margaret also battled cancer a few times in her life.

Survivors include her children, Alan and Julie DeBlauw, Hartington, sons, John and Jordan; Vera DeBlauw, Norfolk; Julie Kristensen, Yankton, S.D., children, Brandon, and wife, Sadie; and Brittany; Paul DeBlauw and Amy Nicke, Bow Valley, and children, Brittany, Brandy, Tucker and Tyler; Jason and Ashley DeBlauw, Gayville, S.D., and children, Keanna and Carson; and Koni and Tory Opfer, Hartington, and daughters, Jessica and Jaden; son-in-law, Mike Goodwin, Buffalo, Mo., and son, Daniel, and spouse, Rebecca; two great-grandchildren, Oakley Williams and Marley DeBlauw; inlaws, Nancy (DeBlauw) Dowling, Joe Westover, Mike Miller, David Wemhoff, Alice (Joe) Noonan and Mary Ellen Cayler; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dennis; daughter, Gina Goodwin; parents; brother, Richard Gray; her sisters, Ruth Ann, Abbie, Betty and Beverly; brother-in-law, Roger DeBlauw; and sisters-in-law, Irene Gray and Doris Ann Jones.