Margaret L. Bergin

Margaret Lorraine (Johnson) Bergin, 90, formerly of Sioux City, passed away Saturday, July 6, 2013, in Omaha following a sudden illness. Services will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. Michael Catholic Church in Sioux City. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Wednesday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson-Berger Northside Chapel. Online condolences can be directed to meyerbroschapels.com. The family will hold a reception 3 to 5 p.m. today with coffee and cookies baked from Margaret's recipes in the Terrace Room of Elmwood Tower, 801 So. 52nd Street in Omaha. Margaret was born on Aug. 27, 1922, upstairs of the Great Northern depot in Jasper, Minn., to Melvin and Christie (Flatberg) Johnson, the fourth of five children. Two years later, they moved from the cramped quarters above the depot, where her father worked as the agent, to a house. She attended Jasper High School through the 11th grade. Her father, a deacon for the Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church, never owned a car yet the family traveled far. Trains that belched smoke and steam took them to Granite Falls, Sioux Falls and the Chicago World's Fair. At age 18, she sneaked out of the house and ran away with the love of her life, Leroy Michael Bergin, to be married in Sibley, Iowa on Jan. 11, 1941. Her father initially disapproved of her marriage to a Catholic but eventually gave his blessing. Soon after, Leroy left to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II leaving Margaret to care for their oldest child, the first of eight they would have together. Unable to afford a crib, she laid the baby to sleep in a dresser drawer. When Leroy returned, they settled in Sherman, S.D. He owned an auto service garage that later burned. In 1948, they left behind town's comforts, including electricity and indoor plumbing, to farm in southeast South Dakota. Margaret said she first thought, "How bad could it be?" "I soon found out." She used a gas-powered washing machine and hauled water, heating it on a wood-burning stove. None of the children wanted to be last in the bathtub since they all shared the same water. Margaret thrived. She had an infectious laugh and once rode a cow on a dare. She always had coffee brewed and extra food cooked for visiting neighbors and hungry farm workers. Determined, independent and tired of being stuck on the farm with four kids, Margaret taught herself to drive at a time when women seldom were seen behind the wheel of a car. On her first trip, she had yet to master shifting and drove more than four miles in first gear to go shopping. In 1971, they moved to Sioux City. Margaret worked at several jobs, including for Goldfine's and Ardan department stores, Zenith and Iowa Public Service Co. She was an active member of St. Michael's Catholic Church. Margaret enjoyed spending time with her family, cheated at Skip-Bo and would talk on the phone for hours. She kept her kitchen stocked with fresh-baked cookies, and her hot dishes -- served with buttered bread -- were a comfort food to three generations. She always made time to listen to childrens' tales of victory and woe. She cherished the many close friendships she made, often over cards, at the Elmwood Tower in Omaha, where she moved after Leroy passed on Oct. 14, 2003. She is survived by five sons and their wives, Wayne of Tuttle, Okla., Jim and Cookie of Minco, Okla., Michael and Nadine of Sergeant Bluff, Pat of Phoenix, and Tim and Cindy of Wichita Falls, Texas; two daughters and their husbands, Eileen and Thomas Slane of Omaha, and Peggy and Steven Lange of Pipestone, Minn.; and a sister-in-law, Lorraine Johnson of Jasper, Minn. She had 23 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; daughter, Joy Bergin; daughter-in-law, Hazel Bergin; two brothers, Leslie and Willis Johnson; and two sisters and their husbands, Deloris and Neal Fastle, and Inez and Lambert King. The family requests memorials be directed to the Jasper Historical Museum, 208 E Fourth St., Jasper, MN 56144.