Margaurite E. Wiele

WAKEFIELD, Mich - Margaurite E. Wiele, 88, of Ironwood, passed away on Oct. 8, 2018.

Margaurite was born on May 12, 1930, in Edgeley, North Dakota, to Leonard and Antoinetta (Oleson) Orness. After graduation from high school in Kingsford, she attended the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis.

On June 14, 1950, she married Kenneth W. Wiele in Kingsford. After living in Ann Arbor, for several years the couple moved to Bessemer, where Ken began his teaching career in the Bessemer and later the Ironwood public schools. The couple was blessed with four children - Naomi, Linda, Elizabeth and Ken.

Margaurite's creativity touched many lives. Three of her poems were adapted by lyricist Herb Frombach and choral composer Vicki Tucker Carlson for publication by Carl Fisher, Shawnee Press, and Alfred Music Company. As a result, her poems depicting the beauty of the Upper Peninsula have been performed by thousands of high school and college students around the country. Her works were also published in the magazine Above the Bridge.

Salem Lutheran Church's 100th anniversary featured an original hymn with lyrics written by Margaurite and music by her husband, Ken. Her contribution to the Salem anniversary was a reflection of her deep and abiding faith.

Margaurite was a strong and vocal advocate for protecting the Porcupine Mountains State Park from commercial development. She was fiercely committed to preserving our national parks and other wilderness areas.

Margaurite loved long walks in the woods, working in her garden, spending time at the family cabin, and listening to Mozart. To say she enjoyed reading is really an understatement! Most of all, her love of her husband and family shone through everything. The couple enjoyed supporting all of the family's musical performances, including a cherished trip to Vienna, Austria, to see their granddaughter, Laura, perform with the St. Olaf choir. They also traveled to Norway to explore their family heritage.

She will be dearly missed by daughters Naomi (Ken) Wegmeyer, of Ironwood, Linda (Edwin) Fowler, of Watersmeet, and Elizabeth (Michael) Peltier, of Kenosha, Wis .; son, Ken (Karen) Wiele, of Kenosha; grandchildren, Timothy (Atsuko) Wegmeyer, Laura (Luke) Zaccaro, Emily (Aaron) Trochell, Daniel (Sarah) Fowler, Ken Wiele and Jacob Wiele; five great-grandchildren, Keila and Ken Wegmeyer, Gabriel Zaccaro and Emma and Maggie Fowler; brother-in-law, Robert (Karen) Wiele, of Scottsdale, Ariz., as well as many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Kenneth, and two sisters, LaVerne Brown and Ida Kopp.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Aspirus Grand View and Gogebic Range Medical Center for their kindness and compassion. The family is extremely grateful to the Regional Hospice team for their exceptional care. The family would also like to thank Pam Udd, who was truly Mom's guardian angel for the last six years. Mom loved her like a daughter.

Visitation for Margaurite will be on Friday, Oct. 12, from 1 to 2 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Church, 333 E. Aurora St. in Ironwood. There will be a memorial service at the church at 2 p.m.

McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to express condolences, please visit mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in Margaurite's honor can be made to The Wilderness Society, wilderness.org or Lutheran World Relief, lwr.org.