Margaret Burke

Posted

(Mar. 7, 2007)

Longtime Garland resident Margaret Burke, 95, died peacefully in her sleep in her home in Joliet, Mont., on Wednesday, March 7.

She was known by many Powell-area residents as the “Garland egg lady.”

She was born Margaret Schloss on March 26, 1911, in Douglas, Wyo., the youngest of a large pioneer family.

Margaret married Richard (Dick) Burke on Oct. 15, 1930, and homesteaded by his side for several years in the Douglas area. During that time, they welcomed two daughters, Jean and Helen. Later they moved to Oregon, and a third daughter, Peggy, was born. During World War II, Margaret carried the mail between the small Oregon towns of Warrenton and Fort Stevens, which was still a military base at the time.

Later, the family moved to Juneau, Alaska, for a five-year stay; then returned to Wyoming in 1958. They made their home in the Garland area for the next 48 years. For nearly five decades, Margaret sold eggs from their house on the Garland highway. After the death of her husband in 1996, she moved to Joliet to be close to her daughter Helen. She lived her last 10 years there in her own home, delighting in the same passions she had enjoyed since childhood – raising chickens, caring for her flowers and mowing her lawn. Margaret was a great animal lover and always had cats, a dog and for many years in Garland, a horse.

Granddaughter Deb Vickers and her husband, Larry, lived with Margaret the past few years to help care for her and Helen, who lived next door. Granddaughter Kathy Evans of Bozeman, Mont., also remained close to Margaret, supplying care and support, especially during her final year.

Margaret is survived by her three daughters, Jean McConnell of Camp Verde, Ariz.; Helen Salveson of Joliet; and Peggy (Bill) McCoy of Tacoma, Wash; eight grandchildren, including Dan (Jeane) Pearl of Powell; 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband and one grandson. No services were planned

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