Marjorie Edwards Obituary

Marjorie ‘Marge’ Hill Edwards was born on April 12, 1934, in Chicago, IL. She enjoyed an idyllic upbringing in LaGrange with her two brothers, her mother—a homemaker and an R.N.—and her father, a pathologist - who still has specimens on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The family lived across the street from the country club, where Marge loved to swim and play golf.

After high school, Marge attended Miami of Ohio and was a member of the AOΠ sorority - the same one her granddaughter Kelsey would later join at TCU. Marge met and married James (Jim) Edwards, Jr. after he returned from serving in WWII, and they began their life together. They moved to Des Moines and started a family—eventually having five children: James III,Tom, Emily, Andy, and Mike. Jim worked hard building his printing business, and when Marge could get a little time away from the kids, she would pitch in to help. A favorite family joke was that Marge worked as a stripper to help grow the business (of course, a “stripper” is a specific role in the printing world). With five kids, though, there wasn’t much extra time, and their rowdy bunch kept Marge and Jim on the go to countless swim meets (all five kids swam competitively), football games, fishing trips to Canada, ski trips to Colorado, golf at Wakonda, and lots and lots of “shenanigans.”

Once the kids were grown and on their own, Marge took on a new role as a travel associate with the ITA Group. She enjoyed escorting business groups across the country and around the world. One of her most memorable trips was during 9/11, when the group she was with got stranded off the coast of Canada—they all eventually made it home safely.

Home was a place Marge loved to be, surrounded by her family, and one of her most treasured titles was “Mimi.” Her eight grandchildren—Jimmy, Jake, Dos, Kelsey, Brady, Emma, Lauren, and Kiera—and her great-granddaughter Stella adored her. Mimi and Papa (Jim) rarely missed a concert, game, or meet - most of their grandkids swam competitively like their parents, and Mimi loved the constant stream of photos she received of Stella’s many activities.

Another place Marge loved to be was Anna Maria Island, FL. Marge and Jim would spend winters there, and the whole family would descend on them during spring breaks. Walks on the beach, playing in the ocean, “finding” shark’s teeth and sand dollars, visits to the Mote to see the manatees, eating out at Mr. Bones, pancake breakfasts and birthday cakes—Marge made everything so special for everyone during those visits.

And that was her superpower: making things special. A wonderful cook, she whipped up lots of family favorites; from green noo-noos to her famous sugar cookies. Her knack for seemingly effortless entertaining earned her the nickname “Margie Stewart” from her daughter. Whether she was orchestrating an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner, filling the family room with presents at Christmas, or hosting an authentic Oktoberfest, she did it all with style—with her hair in her signature twist and a stack of gold bangles on her arm!

Marge often commented on how lucky our family was to have so much time together - since all of her children stayed in Des Moines. She is at the core of all our best memories and was the heartbeat of our family. We will always love and miss her.

We’d like to thank the staffs at 3801 Grand, the Jewish Life Center, and Kavanagh House for the kindness and caring they gave to Marge. We encourage anyone who’d like to donate in her memory to contribute to EveryStep/Kavanagh House: everystep.org/donate.

The family will hold a private service at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, where Marge will be interred with her husband, Jim.

Marge was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, and her husband, Jim. She is survived by James Edwards III, daughter-in-law Linda, and their children: James IV, Kelsey, Emma and her daughter, Stella, and Lauren; Tom Edwards; Emily Hicklin, son-in-law Bart, and their son, Bart Jr., and his wife, Emily; Andy and Deanne Edwards and their sons: Jake and his husband, On Shiu, and Brady and his partner, Alexa Jones; Mike and Stacey Edwards and their daughter, Keira.

ILES DUNN'S CHAPEL

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