Margaret (Margie) Spindler Strauch, the beloved wife of Dr. Gerald (Jerry) O. Strauch, was born into eternal life on August 24th after a brief but fatal illness. She was 88.
Margaret Strauch, 88, died on August 24th. Her wake will be on September 17th and her funeral the next day.
She leaves behind her 66-year-old loving husband, Dr. Gerald (Jerry) O. Strauch; her son David; and her daughters Susan (Manglano) and Jean (Myers). She also leaves six wonderful grandchildren: Allie and Andrew Strauch; David, Ramon and Santi Manglano and Christopher Myers.
Margie was born on March 3, 1933 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Howard and Margaret Spindler. She had a brother, John F. Spindler, who was a close friend and confidante of Margie and Jerry and a valued uncle of their children and grandchildren until his recent death in June 2021.
Margie met the love of her life and her future husband at the University of Michigan, where she received her bachelor’s degree in 1955. Margie and Jerry married that summer and stayed in Ann Arbor, Michigan until Jerry finished medical school. Margie was a primary school teacher at the time. She loved introducing wonderful children’s books to her students and had a deep love for reading her entire life.
After finishing Jerry’s medical practice at Rhode Island Hospital and serving as Army surgeons in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania for two years, the couple moved to Darien, where they lived until 1979.
Margie was a devoted and loving full-time mother to her three children, and she managed to give at least as much attention to her beloved husband. The household shrub was a particularly peaceful one, and that is a lasting gift to their children.
She had a great sense of humor and left at least one child in the habit of giving the family dog almost any cute name except the one it was given: lamb chop, pumpkin, “eeby weezer”. She grew up loving dogs and had at least one almost every day of her life until she died. She also loved to sing spontaneously when something pleased her. “When the roses bloom on the garden wall” was a standard.
Margie has moved with her family twice. In 1979, Jerry became chief surgeon at New Britain General Hospital. The couple moved their family to a historic 200-year-old house in Farmington, and Margie learned a lot about the history and antiques of the area. She was also a lecturer and fundraiser for the beautiful Hill-Stead Museum.
In 1989, Margie moved to Winnetka, Illinois one last time after Jerry became assistant director of the American College of Surgeons. This was an easier transition for her as many friends had lived in both the New York and Chicago suburbs over the years and there were connections before she even got to the Chicago area.
In Winnetka, Margie became an avid gardener and a member of the Chicago Botanic Garden Woman’s Board and was a member of the Town and Country Arts Club, where she took turns doing well-researched and entertaining lectures on various interesting topics. She learned all her life and was always familiar with the news of the day.
Throughout her vocation as a wife and mother, Margie held fast to her Catholic values and beliefs, and both she and Jerry embodied those values inside and outside the home.
As a young mother, she spent countless hours in charity throughout her life. She brought her children with her when appropriate, and made a lasting impression of their kindness, faith, and the importance of service to others.
Her memorial service will take place on Friday, September 17, 2021, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Donnellan Family Funeral Home in Skokie, Illinois.
A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, September 18 at 10 a.m. at the Saints Faith Hope and Charity in Winnetka, Illinois. The funeral will be private.
– An obituary from Donnellan Family Funeral Services offering online condolences
