Obituary of Marguerite Augustine

Marguerite Eleanor Augustine On Friday, August 31, 2012, at around 1:00 a.m. under the full moon, the angels accompanied our dear, wonderful, Marguerite to heaven. She enjoyed her last 5 ½ years in the home of her daughter, Kathleen, and son–in-law, Paul, but now she is home with Christ, home at last. She lived a full life and we will miss her. She was peaceful and serene when she died and we know she is in God’s tender and loving care. Marguerite was born Marguerite Hanni on April 5, 1923, on the family farm in Cresco, Iowa, growing up with her sisters Grace, Lillian, and Lois, and her brother Paul. Her parents were both Swiss, reflecting the strong, hearty, resourceful, and straightforward qualities of the Swiss people. Marguerite was known for her intelligence; she scored first in the county and second in the state on the state tests. She longed to complete her education, but it was cut short due to headaches from an injury in a sleigh accident as a child. In later years she completed many college courses. In her early 20’s she traveled to California with her girlfriend, Roma Murphy, and lived with Roma’s mother. Marguerite worked in Hollywood and within a short time she met a young Swedish man, Elmer Johnson, at a dance and three weeks later they were married. Elmer and his father, Adolph, built a two story home on five acres at the base of the Angeles Crest mountains on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta, California. They had two children, Bill and Kathleen, and the family attended Mount Olive Lutheran Church. During the days and months that Elmer built a restaurant in the front of the property, Bill happily stayed close by his father’s side. The restaurant was a great success, but when Bill was 10 and Kathleen was 8, Elmer passed away, leaving Marguerite a single mom with a restaurant to run. Five years later Marguerite met Orv Augustine. The ladies in the church had arranged for Orv and Marguerite to meet at Orv’s glass shop, Augustine Glass in Montrose. Orv came to the Foothill Boulevard home to install a medicine cabinet and three months later they were married. Marguerite, Bill, and Kathleen moved into Orv’s home on Prospect Avenue in Montrose and joined with Orv’s four children, Steve, Julie, Tim and John to make a family of eight. The family attended First Lutheran Church in Pasadena, California. The six children went to school and grew into young adults, and one by one went off on their own. Marguerite and Orv subsequently lived in Southern California, Mammoth Lakes, and Las Vegas, Nevada, before settling in Hemet, California, where Orv passed away in 2005. After Orv passed, Marguerite suffered a major stroke in the brain stem. She gradually recovered from this, but was unable to live on her own. So in 2006, she moved to Virginia to live with Kathleen and Paul. She was a good sport about being in a different environment, a different part of the country, and a different home. She always wanted to help do the dishes and other things around the house, but since these activities were hard on her back, she had to settle for folding the towels. She loved going for drives in the country and would playfully say, "Oh, let’s just keep on going". Kathleen explains how easy and comfortable she was to be with. They would often be together without saying anything, just comfortable in each other’s presence, enjoying this more than any conversations they could have had. Marguerite was deeply religious. When Kathleen would read the Lutheran liturgy or the Bible to her, she would settle into a profound, silent reverence. She was accepting, gentle, kind, and forgiving. She was straightforward and honest and was never known to tell a lie. She always did what she thought was right, often preempting her own interests. When asked what she would advise at this stage in her life, her answer was, "To each his own". When asked to explain, she wisely replied, "Everyone paints their own picture". She is survived by her children Bill (and Tish) Johnson, Kathleen (and Paul) Skevington; her step-children Steve (and Georgette) Augustine, Julie Augustine, Tim (and Linda) Augustine, John (and Denise) Augustine; her sister Lillian Ladwig; her grandchildren Liv Johnson and Elke Johnson; her step-grandchildren Joshua Augustine, Matthew Augustine, Danny Augustine, Sarah Ruth Davies; and twelve nieces and nephews.