Alton-Herr, Margaret 'Margie'

Margaret “Margie” Alton-Herr of Iowa City died at home on her 94th birthday on Tuesday, April 12, 2011. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City.

Margaret H. Schrock was born April 12, 1917, in Iowa City, the daughter of Elmer C. and Emmy (Voelckers) Schrock. Throughout her life, music and photography were Margie's great loves and she was an accomplished pianist, organist and cellist. Following graduation from Iowa City High School, she attended and graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.F.A. in piano and music education. She served as organist at Zion Lutheran Church for a number of years and directed the youth choir there as well. For over 25 years, she taught piano privately.

In 1965, she returned to the University of Iowa and received a degree in occupational therapy. After graduating, she worked as a supervisor in the occupational therapy clinic in psychiatry at the VA Hospital in Iowa City, and later, supervised over 300 volunteers there as director of voluntary service.

She was previously married to Everett Alton in 1941, and, after her divorce many years later, married King Herr in 1989. She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Photographic Society of America, and the Iowa City Camera Club.

Margie always appreciated the wonders of nature, the beauty of music, the joy of her family and the treasure of warm, personal relationships - and never took any of them for granted. She was a talented writer and wrote an autobiography, “Journey Through My Life,” which was hand-bound by an Iowa City artist and which featured photos from her predecessors in Mecklenburg, Germany from the 19th century on. She particularly enjoyed a 5,000 km road trip with her daughter and her husband throughout Europe in 1997 in which she had the opportunity to see the estates of her mother's family, the Voelckers, in what used to be eastern Germany. She also enjoyed travel to Guatemala and to the Baltic States and Russia.

Her family includes a daughter, Dr. Carol Kefalas (and fiance Bob Schuett); “adopted daughter,” Tibletse Daniel; grandsons, Paris (and Carrie) Kefalas and Todd (and Lissa Roggeveen) Alton; daughters-in-law, Barbara Alton and Ann Alton; three stepchildren, Catherine Marie (and David) Van Nostrand, Johanna Susan (and Charles) Engberg and John Christian (and Mary Jo Herriman) Herr; great-grandson, Alexander Kefalas; six nephews and nieces; stepgrandchildren, Laura Caviani (and Pete Whitman), Catharine L. Van Nostrand (and Peggy Miller), Maren Van Nostrand (and Byron Ricks), Siri Engberg (and J. Martin Broan), Gillian Engberg, Christian Herr (Rachel) and Austin Herr; and three stepgreat-grandchildren, Julia Ricks, Simon and Eliza Broan and Melody Renee Herr.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Emmy Schrock; her husband, King Herr; her great-granddaughter, Addison Alton; her son, David; and her brother, Dr. Christian Schrock.

Memorial donations can be made in Margie's memory to the Zion Lutheran Church, c/o Music Programs.

Online condolences may be sent for her family through the web at

Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for her family and her services.