Margo Walsh

Wednesday, October 18, 2017 4:39 pm

Margo Walsh, 74, of Decorah, died Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, at Gunderson Health System in La Crosse, Wis. Services were at 11 a.m., Monday, Oct. 23, at First Lutheran Church in Decorah, with Rev. Chad Huebner officiating. Organist was Marcia Engebretson. Soloist was Mary Arneson (“Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling”). Hymns were “Abide With Me” and “I Know of a Sleep in Jesus.” Casket bearers were Thor Haugen, Les Fox, Bill T. Noecker, Robb Worrell, Mike Walsh and Dean Walsh. Interment was at Hesper Public Cemetery in Hesper. Arrangements were handled by Schluter Balik Funeral Home, Decorah.

Margo Ilene (Noecker) Walsh was born May 26, 1943, the first child of Milo and Ida (Quandahl) Noecker. She was a happy and mindful child. As she grew and four more siblings came into the family, she found her job as a sister was to mother the rest of the children. Margo went to country school for eight years, then entered Decorah High School, and graduated from high school in 1961. She went straight to work at a camera factory in Spring Grove, Minn., where she worked until the fall of 1961. She then went to work at Luther College’s food service until 1964. The fall of 1964, she left the food service job and went to work at Aase Haugen Home as a nurse’s aide. Her work there lasted until she had a chance to go to work at Deco in late 1967. In 1974, she was laid off from Deco and spent one year looking for another job. After a short course in nursing aide, she went to work at Eastern Star Nursing Home in 1975, where she worked until she retired in 2005. She was loyal, dependable, independent and hardworking all those years. She encountered some hard times, but she worked, never asking for any help from her parent’s or anyone else. Margo met Keith Walsh in 1966 and they married June 17, 1967. He was her best friend and they enjoyed 50-plus years together. He was there for her during many happy days and stood by her through all the rough times. He was her rock. Margo was a feisty person and persevered through many difficult times. It was in 1988 Margo started to lose her hearing. This impacted everything in her life. You might have thought her unfriendly at times when you met her because she had such difficulties hearing. In January 2006, Margo woke up one morning with terrible chest pain, went to the emergency room, and discovered she had an aortic aneurism. That was the day Margo could have died but she wasn’t ready to leave this world yet. She hung on but this left her with a heart condition and pacemaker. Then in 2011, the doctors noticed something wrong with her blood which was diagnosed as Monoclonal Gammopathy; one in four of these diagnosed people go on to have Multiple Myeloma. Margo was one of those people. She was a fighter and was not going to let this get the best of her. Margo enjoyed traveling on small trips with Keith and at other times with her girlfriends, Helen Arneson, Ruth Kamp, Rita Kern and Neva Emery. One of Margo’s favorite things was her regular Friday lunch with her girlfriends. Margo should be remembered for her love of her family. She loved birthdays and all the holidays. To Margo these were an opportunity to get together and this gave her much enjoyment.

Margo is survived by her husband, Keith; brothers and sisters: Michael Noecker, Oelwein; Suzanne (John) Matter, Decorah; Billie Noecker, Decorah; Bettie (Les) Fox, Oelwein; brothers and sisters-in-law: Michael Walsh, Cresco; Gary (Janet) Walsh, Cedar Rapids; Dean (Julie) Walsh, Cresco; along with many nieces and nephews.

Margo was preceded in death by her parents, Milo and Ida (Quandahl) Noecker; mother and father-in-law, John and Amelia (Melcher) Walsh.