Mary M. Clague

Mary M. Clague, 96, died Sunday, December 26, 2010 at The Village in Indianola. A visitation with family will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Thursday, December 30 at the First United Methodist Church with funeral services beginning at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Winterset Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church of Winterset and the Good Shepherds Fund at The Village. On-line condolences may be directed to the family at www.ochiltree.com. Mary Margaret Spurgin was born in rural Madison County, Iowa on December 21, 1914, the daughter of Charles Ellsworth and Georgia Ann (Kensler) Spurgin. She graduated from Winterset High School and later attended William Jewell College where she obtained her teaching certificate. She taught country school until her marriage to Earl W. Clague which took place on May 9, 1937. After her teaching career ended, Mary enjoyed being a mother and homemaker which she did the remainder of her years. Mary and Earl lived in the Worthington area of Madison County until 1948 when they moved to Des Moines. Later they lived near Ames from 1958 until moving to Winterset in 1976, when Earl retired from the Iowa DOT. Mary was an active and devoted member of several churches during her lifetime as well as being active in the Federated Women’s Club. Mary is survived by her children, Marvin E. Clague (wife, Patricia) of Vallejo, CA; Margaret Ann “Margo” Mallgren (husband, J. David) of Winterset; C. Martin “Marty” Clague (wife, Martha Brown) of Omaha, NE; two sisters, Betty Ballantyne of Hesperia, CA and Barbara Holmes of Des Moines. She is also survived by a son-in-law, Ralph Schilling of Huxley; seven grandchildren (Deborah Clague, Randall Clague, Julie Mallgren, Carol Mathews (husband, Scott), Ian Clague, Leslie Clague and Glen Schilling) and two great grandchildren (Rachel and Sean Mathews). She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 1988; her daughter, Marilyn Schilling; two sisters, Loraine Spurgin and Henrietta McKirgan and two brothers, Warren A. Spurgin and C. Raymond Spurgin.