Margaret Paschke

Margaret was born March 1, 1923, at Amboy, MN, the daughter of Lloyd and Gladys (Hemingway) Sonnicksen. Margaret was infected with osteomylitis as a child and spent over a year recovering at Gillette Children''s Hospital, Minneapolis. At age 11, complications of the mumps left her totally deaf for the rest of her life. She graduated from the Minnesota School for the Deaf in 1942 and attended dress making and design school in Minneapolis in 1943 an 1944. An excellent seamstress, she later designed and constructed many of her own dresses and many clothes for her family. Margaret was married to Orval W. Paschke on March 16, 1946 in Winnebago and was his partner on their dairy farm in JoDaviess township for over 58 years. She remained on the farm, following Orval''s death in 2001, until entering St. Luke''s Lutheran Care Center in 2004. Margaret was a member of the Salem United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School and served on various church committees. She served with her husband as a leader of the Guckeen Happy H''ers 4-H for 15 years. At age 54 she began teaching sign language in classes through Blue Earth Community Education, East Chain Methodist Church and in Alden, MN.Margaret Paschke is survived by her son, Dennis Paschke of St. Peter, her son, Morrie (& Sher) Paschke of Wauwatosa, Wi., her son, Tom Paschke of Blue Earth, her brother, Don (& Jeanne) Sonnicksen of Winnebago, her sister, Dee (& Roy) Detlefsen of Burnsville, her sister, Norma (& Bailey) Blair of Winnebago, her sister, Betty Franzen of Mason City, Iowa, her grandchildren, Mitch Paschke of Minneapolis and Megan Paschke of Milwaukee, WI, brothers-in-law: Lester (& Eulah) Paschke & Dick Paschke of Blue Earth, and many nieces & nephews. Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister- Marion Sterling and a brother- Harold Sonnicksen.