Margaret Joan Mary (Hooper) Austreim

Margaret Joan Mary Austreim, age 96, of Howard, died Saturday, March 19, 2022, at her residence. Funeral services will be 11:00 AM, Friday, March 25, 2022, at Beach United Methodist Church in Howard. Inurnment will follow at Belleview Lutheran Cemetery, rural Howard. Visitation will be 5-7 PM, Thursday, at the Willoughby Funeral Home in Howard.

Margaret Joan Mary Hooper was born in Southampton, England on May 18, 1925, to Kathleen (Jefford) and Leonard Hooper. Margaret, known as Peggy to her English family, was the oldest of 8 children.

Margaret attended St. Anne’s All-Girls School in Southampton up until the age of 9. WWII made it too dangerous to continue living in Southampton, so she moved to Devonshire and lived with her grandmother.

After finishing school, she had to work for the War effort. She had to take her turns watching for small bombs (incendiaries). Since raising food was considered war work, she worked for an opera singer, Lovett Crosley, who owned 3 large garden nurseries.

Margaret met her husband, Orrin Austreim who was serving in the American Army, at a bus station in Southampton. For dates, they would walk around Southampton or picnic on St. Catherine's Hill under the Spitfire Bridge in Winchester. They fell in love, but Orrin had to leave England on D-Day and they would not see each other again for several years. They continued their relationship through letters. After the war ended, Margaret traveled to the United States on the Queen Elizabeth in January of 1947. While on the ship, the worst storm in fifty years occurred. She got very sea sick and lost a lot of weight. After arriving in New York City, she took a train to Woonsocket, SD, where Orrin met her and took her out for a steak dinner!

Margaret and Orrin were married on January 26, 1947, at Belleview Lutheran Church in rural Howard, SD, following morning worship. They were blessed with 3 children, Douglas, Kathleen, and Peggy, whom they raised on a farm north of Howard. They later retired in Howard, where Margaret was living at the time of her death. She attended Belleview Lutheran Church where she was an active member. She was a loving mother and grandmother that enjoyed going to family parties and activities. She will be remembered as quick witted, a wonderful cook and bread baker, a skilled knitter, a chocolate lover, and a daily tea drinker.

Margaret is survived by her son, Doug (Cheryl) of Brookings, SD and daughter Peggy (Tim) Clarke of Howard, SD; 10 grandchildren: Laura Curtler, Lisa Jenson, Allan Austreim, Andrew Austreim, Abigail Bisschop, Megan Wright, Emily Heilman, Kyle Quinn, Kevin Quinn, and Allison Muilenburg; 31 great-grandchildren; sister, Patricia White of Chandlersford, England; brother, Gerald (Shirley) Hooper of Chandlersford, England; a very special friend and neighbor, Gloria Bremmon and wonderful housekeeper, Diane Kleinsasser.

Margaret was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Orrin; her daughter Kathleen Quinn; sister, June Walker; and brothers, Peter, Brian, Leslie, and Tony Hooper.   

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