Margaret Ann Woolcox

Margaret Ann Woolcox, nee Baker, was born on November 28th, 1928, the same year and month as Mickey Mouse - a fact she loved to tell people.

Much like her birthday buddy, she was spirited and kind.

Her father, Leonard, owned the paint shop in town (Tonica, Ill), and her mother, Ann, a Danish immigrant, was known for her baking skills and sense of humor.

Margaret, born on the eve of the great depression, learned the value of a well-earned dollar.

With three older brothers, Margaret also learned to hold her own, spending many afternoons playing baseball with the boys.

However, her favorite activity was reading, often with one of her many cats curled up next to her while she did so.

By her mother’s side, Margaret learned to bake, a talent she would teach her grandchildren and use in her career.

In 1949, a handsome young man entered her father’s paint shop, where Margaret kept the books. She asked him what color his pretty eyes were, and he replied, “Sky blue pink.” With pretty eyes and a sense of humor, Margaret was smitten. And it seems David Woolcox felt the same way as the two were soon married. A year later, they had a daughter, Joanna Woolcox. Tragically, David died in a car crash less than a year after his daughter’s birth, and Margaret moved back in with her family to raise her daughter.

Grieved over David’s death, Margaret and David’s older brother, William, formed a friendship that turned to love. The two married and had a daughter, Terrey Woolcox. The young family moved to Oswego, Ill, where they lived until the 1980s.

Margaret decided to use her kitchen skills to earn extra money for the family, becoming a cook at a local soda fountain and restaurant. Margaret continued working at restaurants as a professional cook well into her 80s, a fact she was very proud of.

She was also very proud of her immensely talented Daughters, Joanna, a salon owner and hairdresser, and Terrey, a seamstress, who both inherited a great sense of color and creativity from their Baker side.

Joanna married Lloyd Vest Jr. and had one daughter, Ashley Vest, a film producer and writer. Margaret, who lived with Joanna for a few years while her granddaughter was young, taught her how to bake, appreciate movies, and tell stories.

Terrey married Kevin Peterson and had one son, Korey Peterson, a truck driver. Like she had done when her granddaughter was little, she lived with Terrey and taught her grandson to bake, appreciate movies, and love driving. Margaret was a known lead foot, a fact her family lovingly teased about her.

Above all else, Margaret was most proud of all the cats she had rescued and raised over the years. She passed on her love of animals to all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, all of whom have several well-loved pets of their own.

Margaret Ann Woolcox passed away on Friday, August 30th, in Minnesota from Covid at 95.

She is preceded in death by her father Leonard, mother Ann, brothers Vernon, Keith, and Jack, and sister Betty (who died as an infant), and her husbands David Woolcox and William Woolcox.

The deceased is survived by her daughters, Joanna Vest and Terrey Peterson, Sons-in-law, Lloyd Vest Jr. and Kevin Peterson, Grandchildren Ashley Vest and Korey Peterson, Grandson-in-Law Edward Boe, and great-grandchildren Mackenzie and Kayce Peterson, as well as several grand- and great-grand cats and dogs.

Instead of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary in Margaret Woolcox’s name.

(612) 245-5080

https://furballfarmcatsanctuary.com/

furballfarmcatsanctuary@gmail.com

3405 220th Street East, Faribault, Minnesota 55021

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.  

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