Margaret 'Margie' Swanson Obituary (1921

Margaret Margie Swanson, age 99, passed away on Tuesday May 12th, 2020 in Yakima WA. Born into a family of Polish immigrants in 1921, she was the second youngest of ten spending their childhood in Forrest City, Pennsylvania. The 1900s were a time of chaos between neighboring countries in Europe. Wars were erupting and each country wanted power over another, drafting men of every age to fight. During this time some of Margies Aunts and Uncles were already settled in America providing her parents, Alexander and Justyna Golonsky, the opportunity to pack their belongings and leaving the turmoil behind. Raising 10 children (Walter, Volarie, Frances, Al, Stella, Helen, Mary, Joe, Margaret, and Charlotte) was a full time job for Margarets mother, Justyna. Her father was able to take English lessons and get a job in the mines. Always caring for the house and children Margies mother was never able to learn English. As the kids learned English this language barrier fueled a bond for Margie as the guardian of her siblings throughout her life. Margie would lovingly reminisce with family about being in charge of her younger sister, Charlotte. She would retell stories of her mom asking, "Margie, where is she? We cant find her and that means you werent doing your job." These stories would end in laughs with Charlotte being found hiding in the barn. In Margies senior year, 1936, enough money had been saved for the family to move towards bigger opportunities. Picking up everything they could carry Walter, Margie, Charlotte and their parents moved to Upstate New York. It was here that upon her graduation Margie got a job with International Business Machines (IBM) where she would stay employed for 15 years before moving again. In 1952 with her mothers passing, Margaret with family moved to California were three of her sisters were established working as nurses. "We liked to go dancing!" Margie would muse to family, "not to bars, but there used to be bands on Saturday and we would go dancing at Lawrence Welks ball room." During her time in California, Margie had a healthy and successful career with AT&T. She also had a short marriage to Richard Swanson. In 1976, Margie being closely bonded with her youngest sister moved north with Charlotte and her family to Yakima, WA. Margie, being the "Guardian" of the family dedicated her later years to taking care of her siblings. She cared for Stella as she developed Alzheimers, helped Fran, Helen, and eventually Charlotte through the losses of their husbands, Mary through illness and assisted Helen as her eye sight faded. She also loved looking after her great niece and nephew Kathleen and Clay. During life and especially in retirement Margie was known for her desserts such as patesa, kolaczki, and her famous coconut cake which was a holiday treat. She also enjoyed many trips around the world. She traveled on cruises in Europe, Alaska, Mexico and the Caribbean often with the company of Charlotte and Charlottes family. She and her family enjoyed many wonderful years together. In January 2009 the tables turned as Margie suffered a string of strokes. Margie could be described in one way, as a fighter. Two months later through physical therapy and hard work she could walk on her own and had complete mobility. Eventually she came to reside at Living Care Retirement Community and finally at Summitview Health Care Center. Through the years, Margie and her family were very pleased and happy with every phase of the hospitality receive at these two locations. A special thanks to all their staff for the excellent care. Margaret was preceded in death by all of her siblings except Charlotte Huston. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. A Celebration of her Life for immediate family will be held Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 1:00pm at Shaw & Sons Funeral Home (201 N 2nd St, Yakima, WA 98901).