Marguerite Ann (Pottorff) Markle

   Marguerite Ann (Pottorff) Markle was born in Marysville, Iowa, on July 22, 1933, the daughter of Paul and Ella (Wagaman) Pottorff. She graduated from Lovilia High School in 1951, missing only a half day her entire schooling for a funeral. She married her high school sweetheart, Rolland (Rollie) Markle, February 6, 1954, in Ottumwa, Iowa and was married almost 72 years. Marguerite and Rollie were blessed with two daughters: Shelly and Sharon.

   Marguerite is survived by her loving husband Rollie and daughters Shelly (Robert) Miller, Grand Lake, Colorado, and Sharon (John) Campbell, Prescott Valley, Arizona. There are four grandchildren to treasure her memory:  Ben Miller, Grant (Cyndell) Miller, Erin (Tim) Knorr, and Scott (Genevieve) Campbell. Marguerite and Rollie were also blessed with three great grandchildren: Addison and Arden Miller, and Evelyn Miller born December 20, 2025. Also surviving Marguerite are many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Helen Bates, and brothers Paul Pottorff Jr. and Norman Pottorff.

   Marguerite was a homemaker, keeping an immaculate home, the same one for over 65 years. She was a great cook, serving up some family favorites of ham balls, Spam macaroni casserole, “poor man’s” pie, any kind of berry (grown in their garden) pie and decorated Christmas cookies with your name on them. A good cookbook and a Taste of Home magazine were her best friends. Marguerite was involved with Girl Scouts as a Troop Leader and as the District Cookie Chair. She was an expert seamstress, sewing the girls’ dresses, and an accomplished cake decorator, making both of her daughters tiered wedding cakes. Marguerite was a long-time member of the Newton First United Methodist Church. She enjoyed Women’s and Couples’ bowling leagues. For 22 years, she worked at the Maytag Dairy Farms. She also enjoyed watching University of Iowa basketball, following RAGBRAI, and traveling to Colorado, Arizona, and other states to watch grandkids’ sporting events. She continued to walk in the neighborhood and ride an exercise bike well into her eighties.

   When the girls were growing up, there were summer road trips exploring the USA. There were also many road trips to see relatives and attend family reunions. She loved a Dreamsicle from the neighborhood ice cream truck, looked for the caramel in a box of chocolates, enjoyed a Pepsi when she was ironing, collected cups/saucers and angels, admired a beautiful gazebo, and was known to stand in the middle of the street when there was a tornado warning rather than seek cover. There was often a jigsaw puzzle in process. Upwords was played every evening with Rollie or the girls and grandkids when visiting. Dementia did not keep her from playing this favorite game until she was ninety.

   Marguerite died on December 24, 2025, at Traditions Memory Care after battling dementia for eight years. Special thanks to the staff at Traditions Memory Care and Suncrest Hospice for their compassionate care.

   Memorials to honor Marguerite can be made to The First United Methodist Church in Newton, Iowa. Memorials can be sent to the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.

   A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, March 27, 2026, at the First United Methodist Church in Newton.  The family will greet friends from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the church. 

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