Margaret Lee (Patterson) Gladish

MARGARET LEE (PATTERSON) GLADISH

Cedar Rapids

Margaret Lee (Patterson) Gladish left her Earthly home at age 99, to be reunited in heaven with her husband and children on Feb. 2, 2021. Her family will hold a private service at home with a service and burial at a later date at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Rowland Heights, Calif. Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids, assisted the family.

Margaret was born Nov. 16, 1921, in Dallas, Texas, an only child to Ira and Lalla Fay. After high school, she attended Southern Methodist University and went on to join the Navy where she was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii during World War II. Her military service as a member of the WAVES was one of her proudest accomplishments. It was there in Hawaii where she met and married her husband Chuck, also serving in the military (Army), in 1945, in Honolulu. They later moved to Dallas, Texas, and then Whittier, Calif., where they raised two children, Richard and Maggie, and lived for many decades. Margaret worked at Bendix Corporation as an office manager and retired in 1983. She then moved to Forest City, Iowa, to be near her son and his family and later followed them to Horseshoe Bend, Ark., where she lived before returning to Iowa in 2011. Her last year was spent at Corridor Crossing Place in Cedar Rapids.

Throughout her life, Margaret loved to travel, especially her vacation with Chuck to Europe, taking her family to Hawaii and the Bahamas, and many trips in her camper. In 2012, she was able to take the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. She was a great cook, loved to do crossword puzzles, play solitaire, type letters on her typewriter and was an avid reader. She loved going to garage sales and was an excellent seamstress.

Although Margaret experienced much tragedy in her life, she was always strong, giving, steady, generous and kind. Her family and friends were beyond blessed to know her, and her passing is truly the end of an era.

Preceding Margaret in death are her grandparents; parents; her husband, Chuck; her daughter, Maggie; son-in-law, John Geiger; and her son, Richard.

Left to cherish Margaret's memory are her daughter-in-law, Donna Gladish of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Daniel (Bernadette) Gladish of Cedar Rapids, Matthew Geiger of Monrovia, Calif., Rachel Gladish of Garner and Laurel (Bob) Cruse of Cedar Rapids; and great-grandchildren, Julian and Claire Gladish and Veronica Cruse, all of Cedar Rapids.

Margaret's family would like to thank the staff at Corridor Crossing Place as well as Essence of Life Hospice Care for taking such great care of Margaret.

Please share a memory of Margaret at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.