Has portrait in newspaper

Obituary printed in the Sept. 19, 2008 World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska

Stroy—Margaret Solveig Rolland

29/Oct/1915 – 5/Sept/2008

The contributions Margaret made in her life cannot be described in only a few short words. Everyone that ever met her liked her. Everyone that ever knew her loved her. She was a wise, sweet, kind and loving lady who never had a negative thing to say about anyone, who saw only the good in everyone and who always forgave any missteps. She was an inspirational wife, mother and grandmother who served as the bedrock for the accomplishments of her husband, two children and three grandchildren. She truly loved life and squeezed every bit of enjoyment out of hers, often finding immense enjoyment in the simplest pleasures—like seeing her grandchildren’s eyes light up at the smell of the many pastries and confections she was so expert at baking. Margaret was also a world traveler and adventurer. She saw much of the US including most of the Hawaiian Islands, visited many countries of Europe, toured several islands in the Caribbean and traversed Australia. She took ocean cruises and bare boat sailing trips, managed difficulties overnight horseback camping trips in the Sierra and Rocky Mountains and braved a white water rafting trip in Utah, all in her eighties. Margaret’s interest and appreciation for the world’s many diverse geographies and cultures exemplified her curious and inquisitive nature and her ever-present desire to expand her mind and cultural awareness. As a Registered Nurse, Margaret worked well into her eighties. She devoted her life to helping and serving others and rejoiced when she could make a difference in their lives. She was also an artist. As she wound down her nursing career and family responsibilities, she discovered an uncanny artistic talent that astounded family and friends who had known her for years. Her creations, both with a paintbrush and with sewing and knitting needles, would have been impressive for anyone but were truly remarkable for a person in her late seventies taking up art for the first time. And, she was fond of bringing her many travels and experiences to her canvas. If anything ever troubled Margaret, no one knew it. She never complained, and was unfailingly upbeat and happy—a trait that inspired a video clip made by her grandson entitled HAPPY, the single word that probably best describes Margaret and her life. Margaret was born in Thor, Iowa, to Karen Mathilda Larsen, a teacher, and Lars Marcus Rolland, a stockman. The family moved to a small farm near Blair, Nebraska in 1916, where Margaret’s four siblings Gustav, Helen, Eunice and Philip were born. Margaret attended Blair schools and received her nursing degree from Methodist Hospital in Omaha in 1939. On a church outing in Murdock, Nebraska, she met and soon married Hubert Charles Story (Hugh) on February 21, 1941. Their son Gary was born in 1943, and their daughter Patricia in 1947. The family resided in Fremont, Nebraska where Margaret worked as a nurse at Dodge County Hospital, and Hugh, ever the entrepreneur, started and ran a series of retail businesses. In 1955 the family moved to Greeley, Colorado where Margaret found a nursing position at Weld County General Hospital and eventually became Director of Nursing. Hugh again started and ran a series of retail businesses including a drive-in restaurant, a farm implement dealership, and a gas station, with Margaret always providing a backstop to the needs of the enterprises. In 1988, Margaret and Hugh semi-retired and moved to Peoria, Arizona where Margaret worked part-time as an elder care nurse, and pursued painting and sewing. After an automobile accident in 1991 when Margaret was seriously injured, she moved to Los Gatos, California to be near her children, who helped her make a full recovery. While in Los Gatos, Margaret met Nortrud (Norty) Raymond, who became a trusted friend of the family and a caregiver to Margaret until her death. Her children, Gary Story and Pati Smith of San Jose and Los Gatos respectively, her grandchildren, Dr. Zachary Smith of Los Angeles, Brandon Story of New York City, Mika Tanimoto-Story of Mtn. View, California, and her brother, Philip Rolland of Blair, Nebraska, survive Margaret.

Margaret’s ashes will be placed beside those of her husband, Hugh, who died in 2003, in a small cemetery at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Murdock, Nebraska, where they met.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~

FindaGrave memorial: 51655946