Margaret E. Giese, the eldest daughter of Robert W. and Letha Rief Paden, was born September 3, 1920, at Sumner, Iowa. Margaret’s great grandparents were Chauncey and Agnes Carpenter. Margaret graduated from Sumner High School in 1938. She attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls and began teaching grades one, two and three in Van Meter and Atlantic in 1941. She met Reid C. Giese and they were married at the United Methodist Church in Sumner on February 27, 1943.

            After Reid and Margaret married, Reid was reactivated to serve in the U.S. Army for the duration of World War II. For most of that time, Margaret lived in Sumner with her parents, and twins Judy Ann and Janet Lee were born on September 3, 1944, on Margaret’s own birthday.

After Reid returned from the war in 1945, the couple moved to West Union where Reid took a job as a bank teller. Margaret commuted to Sumner, teaching kindergarten there. Third daughter, Debi Jean, was born May 3, 1956. The family moved back to Sumner in 1961, when Reid became assistant cashier and later president of the First National Bank in Sumner. Margaret and Reid were avid golfers and enjoyed many years of the sport, traveling to many golf courses around the country. They also enjoyed taking the family every summer “up north’ to the Brainerd-Nisswa, Minnesota Lakes area on vacation where many of the family’s treasured stories originated.

            Margaret’s life-long passion was watercolor painting. She produced many paintings which she enjoyed sharing with friends and family. She was an active member of P.E.O. Chapter FH, and the United Methodist Church. The Wednesday Morning Circle met each month at Margaret’s home, which she enjoyed very much.

            Margaret’s death occurred Saturday, May 5, 2012, at her home in Sumner. She was ninety-one years old.

            She is survived by her daughters, Judy (Dwight) Mennenga of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Janet (James) Harvey of Sumner, and Debi (Tom) Oliverius of Minneapolis; eight grandchildren, Leslie Mennenga, Stacy (Jason) Korst, Ryan (Jessica) Mennenga, Mary Katherine (Andrew) Bushey, Ben (Kara) Bowling, Dan Bowling, Robert Paden Bowling, and Brennan Harvey; and nine great grandchildren, Krystina, Bekka, Sydney, Lyndsey, Nathan, Logan, Nicole Paden, Andrew Paden, and Caden Reid.

            Margaret was preceded in death by her husband, Reid, who died April 10, 1995; her parents; and two sisters, Roberta in infancy and Donna Staples.

            Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at the United Methodist Church in Sumner with Rev. Shirley Hoffmann Will officiating. Interment will follow at Union Mound Cemetery in Sumner. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 8, 2012, at Becker-Milnes Funeral Home in Sumner where there will be a P.E.O. service at 5:00 p.m., and for one hour preceding services at the church on Wednesday. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Church or Memories Are Forever, both in Sumner.