Margery Elizabeth Monaghan, aka Marge, aka Marjorie, aka Elizabeth, aka
Amma, aka Mom passed away April 20th, 2019 at Hospice of the Valley. She
was 75 years young.
Marge was born in the quiet town of Ryan, Iowa, later moving to Des Moines
with her husband James. After 50 years of winter, sweet corn and more
winters she moved to Arizona where her daughter resides.
Marge was a philosopher in its truest sense – a lover of wisdom. She
graduated from X-ray training early on, had two children Pat and Michele, who
obliged her with 4 granddaughters, Brighton, Karley, Abigail and Lillian. She
decided in her 40’s to become a massage therapist. Upon graduating from
massage school, Marge opened Jonathan’s, a nod to Jonathan Livingston
Seagull, as one of the first “therapeutic” massage locations in Des Moines.
After moving to Arizona, Marge worked briefly as a massage therapist for the Biltmore hotel,
mainly for the spa discount and the opportunity to meet new people, and began diligently to
pursue her true passion – woman’s search for meaning. That quest took her to countless
retreats and workshops at the Franciscan Renewal Center, A Meditation Certification from the
Chopra Center in Carlsbad California and propelled her to meet and intimately know everyone
she came in contact with. Marge filled everyday with people. Talking with them, or writing to
them. Listening to them and comforting them. Challenging them but always loving them. She
was one of the most opinionated yet non judgmental people you would ever meet.
If the quality of a life can be measured by the amount of love we leave behind, Marge lived a
perfect life. She did this while being blind and living through numerous injuries, many a direct
result of never letting her vision stop her from anything she wanted to do. She did this through
years of heartbreak and stresses that have taken many healthier younger people from this
world and she did this all while coaxing along her fragile heart to give her one more beat.
To try and sum up a life, any life, in a few paragraphs, will never do that life justice. But, to be
succinct this quote from Maya Angelou best represents Marge;
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people
will never forget how you made them feel.”
Marge you left us all feeling loved and understood, better for having been a part of your life.
Thank you Amma.
She was preceded in death by her parents Hubert and Berniece McGinn and her brother
Patrick McGinn. She is survived by her brother Michael McGinn of Manchester, Iowa.
A Memorial Mass presided by Fr. Dan Krettek will be held at 10:00 am on June 28, 2019 at Sacred
Heart Church in West Des Moines, Iowa. A luncheon will follow in the Parish Center.
Donations may be made to The Emmaus House at 1521 Center Street, Des Moines, Iowa
50314.
We will celebrate her life with a Meditation Memorial Service in the Fall at The Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley, Arizona.