Margaret Helen Schmitke
Born: August 1, 1930 Died: January 26, 2019
While it is spelled “Margaret” now, it has also been spelled “Margurite” and “Margarethe” in different family documents. Margaret was born August 1, 1930 in Donaldson, MN
Margaret shared these memories. “I remember that Betty and I had to put the chickens in the pen because there was a storm coming. We threw the chickens into the pen on top of sleeping chickens, not knowing that the sleeping chickens would be smothered. We had to stay up all night plucking the chickens we had killed so that mom could can the meat. I also remember a couple of the outfits I wore. One was tan with black polka dots. Another time I had a purple skirt with horse’s heads pictured on it and a white top to go with it. A lot of our clothes were donated by others or hand me downs.”
When Margaret was 6 or 7 y.o., she jumped off the large bale of hay and landed on a board in the grass that had a nail in it. It went through her foot. Alvina soaked it in Lysol water and it healed without infection. Margaret was the first one in the family to get glasses. She never liked them and used dark nail polish to paint the frames.
Margaret and Clifford Bugge were married at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, MN on February 01, 1957. They would have three children, Brian, Joel, and Tami. Margaret worked for the Pacific Telephone Company until her retirement. Cliff and Margaret moved to California in the 1960’s. Cliff died July 14, 1980. Margaret died January 26, 2019. She was in an assisted living facility after having suffered a stroke several years before her death. They are buried at Fair Oaks Cemetery in California.
