Marguerite Ann (Yunker) Mangen

Marguerite Ann (Yunker) Mangen

Marguerite Ann (Yunker) Mangen (Marge Ann to her family and Margie to most), 91, entered the world with a strong will and a giving heart on September 9, 1935, in Enid, Oklahoma to Martha (Craig) Yunker and Robert Yunker. For the first years of her life she lived in Wakita and Blackwell Oklahoma and their family eventually settled on a farm just over the Kansas line and near Braman, Oklahoma.  She was the eldest of five children, James Yunker, Linda Brand (James Brand), Michael Yunker and Rose Marie Terada (James Terada).

She attended a one room schoolhouse and later graduated from eighth grade in Ponca City, Oklahoma.  Her class celebrated graduation by going to see the movie, The Babe Ruth Story.  Marge was a unique individual with many talents and interests including sewing, camping, crafts and going to garage sales; however, her greatest gift was as a musician.  She played by ear and had perfect pitch much to her children’s dismay when they hit a wrong note during piano practices.  She enjoyed playing the organ, piano and the accordion most and played in a band with her siblings when she was younger.  She was known to wake the family – usually around 6:00 am daily with a rousing chorus of “Hello Dolly” at top volume on the organ, and entering each bedroom crying out, “rise and shine”. She was a lifelong musician and even continued to play for her friends in The Madonna Meadows Living Center until the last months of her life.  

Music brought her many friends and acquaintances, and with that came the legacy that Marge never knew a stranger, just like her father.  She graduated from Sacred Heart College in Kansas (now Newman University) and met a sharply dressed airman, Richard A. Mangen from Chicago, IL on a blind date, whom she incidentally called Bob the entire first date. Amazingly, he still asked her out again and they married after his first-year tour of duty. They married on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1956. They lost no time in starting a family and within five and half years had a full house including: Terri, Jeff, Julie, Sandra and Laurie.  

Despite being a busy mother, Marge still had time to volunteer and have a career as well.  She was a Girl Scout Leader, St. Vincent De Paul member, Senior Citizen Activity Coordinator, Catholic School Teacher, and she even worked for her daughter Sandra at Tommy Gun’s Garage dinner theater, Chicago, IL.  When Dick became a Deacon, Marge devoted herself to assisting him in his ministry at St. Matthew’s Church in Glendale Heights, IL and at St. Francis Church in Rochester, MN, after retirement where she was also a bereavement minister at St. Francis.

Marge left this world on October 23rd, 2026, with the same strong will that she was born with and that carried she, Dick and her family through some of the most challenging times of life.  She had a huge smile and warm hug for all she knew and she will be sorely missed.  

She is survived by her children, Terri (Tom Poterucha), Jeffrey (Yana Mangen), Julie Mangen, Sandra (Bob Lukasik) and Laurie Mangen, as well as her sister, Rose Marie, Nina Mangen, nephews George Mangen and Anthony Brand and nieces, Cat Mangen, Anna Jo Isaacs (Chris) and Lorena Brand.  Marge will be remembered as a loving grandmother to her grandchildren, Joseph Poterucha, Andy (Cassandra) Poterucha, Jeff (Kati) Poterucha,  Angela Dahlgren (Michael), Alex Mangen (Bryan Nissen), Laura Huebel (Matthew), Christopher Mangen and Jacob Lukasik. 

She was blessed with great grandchildren including, Annabella, Danny, Natalia, Tatiana, Bryn, Aaron, Leah, Evelyn, Mya, Grace, Ava, Isabel, Lilly, Rosie, Sam, Annie, Jason and Violet. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, mother and father, brother Michael, brother James, sister Linda, together with in-laws (James Brand), James Terada, Germaine, Ronald, Robert, Marlene Mangen, Daniel Shorter, nieces Sheila Ryan and Teresa Brand in addition to many beloved aunts, uncles and cousins.  

Please join the family at Marge’s wake at Macken’s Funeral Home, Rochester, MN Thursday, October 29th, 2026, from 4:30 – 7:00 pm and a funeral mass will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Rochester, MN and officiated by Fr. Timothy Reker on Friday October 30th at 11:00 am with additional visitation at 10:00 am.  She will be interred at Calvary Cemetery, Suggested memorials may be sent to the St Vincent De Paul Society at St Francis Church, Rochester MN.