When You Need Us Most, We'll Be There
In Loving Memory of
Margaret “Marge” Jolstad
DECEMBER 31, 1947 — APRIL 20, 2026
COTTONWOOD, MN
MAY SHE REST IN PEACE
Marge passed away peacefully on Monday, April 20, 2026, at the Prairie Home Hospice McLaughlin House in Marshall after a courageous battle with dementia.
Marge was born on December 31, 1947, in Webster, SD, to Raymond and Cecelia (Lesnar) Wika. She grew up on a farm near Grenville, SD, and graduated from Webster High School in 1965. After graduation, she moved to St. Paul where she worked at a Children’s Hospital, served as Office Manager at a dental office, and later worked as a bookkeeper at Snyder Drug.
On October 16, 1971, she married the love of her life, Richard Jolstad. Together, they raised their daughter, Terri, and son, Jay. They made their home in St. Paul and Bloomington where they enjoyed attending their children’s activities, RV camping, and square dancing. In 1999, they retired and moved to the Jolstad family farm near Cottonwood, MN.
Marge embraced country life and found a joy in painting – especially landscape but also anything she could get her hands on including signs, clothespins, and her infamous “paint ball.” She loved attending auctions and visiting thrift stores where she had a special talent for discovering hidden treasures. Marge often shared that she was a school photographer from 1965 – 1965 and was rarely without a camera. A true social butterfly, she had a gift for striking up conversations and making connections with everyone she met.
She is survived by her loving husband Richard; her children Terri (Roger) Ricke of Marshall, MN, Jay (Lucy) Jolstad of Minneapolis, MN; siblings Tom (Glenda) Wika, Marcy (Duane) Dahl, Barb (Bret) Bauer and Larry Wika; six grandchildren: Samantha (David) Fischer, Amber Downing, Rebecca Downing, Tiffanie Downing, Koen Jolstad, Max Jolstad; great-grandchildren Henry and Bernice Fischer; and her sister-in-law Cindy Jolstad. Marge was preceded in death by her parents; her brother James Wika; her brother-in-law Leroy Jolstad and her great-grandchild Charlie Richard Fischer.
In Loving Memory of Marge Jolstad
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