Margaret L. Annexstad

Margaret Louise Tjernagel Annexstad of St. Peter Minnesota died Sunday, October 28th at Ecumen Prarie Hill in St. Peter, Minnesota.

Funeral service is 11:00am Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at Norseland Lutheran Church, Norseland. Visitation is 4:00 – 7:00pm at St. Peter Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at church. Memorials are requested to Norseland Lutheran Church for the Margaret Annexstad Music Fund (or donor's choice). www.saintpeterfuneralhome.com.

Margarethe Louise Tjernagel Annexstad was born February 24th 1921 to Martin and Louise (Lillegard) Tjernagel in Story City Iowa. Margaret was baptized and confirmed into the Lutheran faith, and attended a Christian Day School near Story City.  She graduated from Randall High School with honors in 1939.

Margaret grew up in a musical home. Her mother was her first piano teacher beginning at age six. At 12-years-old her mother started her on organ. Margaret and her sisters loved to sing and harmonize, and performed for people in their community as a quartet.  She continued to study piano in high school and later studied with Anna John Silber at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota when she became a student there in 1939. 

After graduating from Bethany in 1941 she taught Christian Day Schools in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Norseland. The next two years she taught piano at Bethany Lutheran College. In 1945, she returned to Iowa where she worked as a public high school music teacher in Stratford and piano teacher in Webster City.

On June 7th, 1946 she become the wife of Ingvald Annexstad. Together they raised five children on their Norseland farm.

Margaret was an active member of the Lutheran church throughout her adult life. She became the organist at the Norseland Lutheran Church and began teaching private piano and organ lessons to the children and adults in the area. She played organ for over 30 years.

During her years as an independent music teacher she was active in the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, entering many students in exams, contests and festivals. She was a founding member of the Minnesota Valley Music Teachers Association, serving as the secretary. She was an active member of the Guild of Piano Teachers, sending many students to piano auditions each spring. 

Margaret was very close with her sisters as well as her Lillegard and Tjernagel cousins. When her sisters passed away she remained very close with their children, many of whom often came from across the country to visit her in Norseland. Any visit by her family would involve a home-cooked meal complete with homemade dessert, followed by a move to the piano to sing hymns, songs from her youth, or musical numbers, all from her extensive musical repertoire and music library. Margaret also loved animals and had fond memories of pets from her childhood, and was very fond of her cat Buxtehude in Norseland, Margaret’s children loved her very much and took care of her as she aged to make sure she could stay at her home as long as possible. She  moved into Prairie Hill an assisted living facility on Sept. 19th, 2017.

Margaret is survived by her children, Carolyn (Maurice) Spangler, Lawrence Annexstad, Elaine Annexstad, Mary (David) Steele. Grandchildren, Aaron (Amy Thielen) Spangler, Sarah (Paul) Fogleman Timothy (Kristi) Steele, Nicole Steele, Kayla Steele. granddaughter-in-law, Evon Spangler. Great-grand children, Irene Fogleman, Isaak Fogleman and Hank Spangler. Step-granchildren, Rachel (Tom) Johnson, Rebecca Hale, Timothy Hale; sister-in-law, Louella Monke and many nieces and nephews.

Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Ingvald after 59 years of marriage; her daughter Jane Annexstad-Hale in 2002; grandson, Matthew Spangler in 2000, her siblings; Sarah (Fred) Schalow, (Will) Hassold, Ruth (Arnold) Strohschein and Esther (Donald) Olsen. Nephew, Ed Strohschein.  Her parents, Martin and Louise (Lillegard) Tjernagel. In-laws, Adolph and Mae (Lageson) Annexstad. Sisters-in-law, Harriet (Marlow) Peterson, Imogene (Irvin) Nelson, and brothers-in-law, Howard (Renee) Annexstad and Herb Monke.

Margaret’s family wishes to give a special thanks to the doctors, nurses and aids at River’s Edge Hospital, Benedictine Nursing Home, all the residents and staff at Ecumen Prarie Hill, St. Croix Hospice, Dr. Keith Stelter and Rev. Kyle Madson.