Margaret Colbert

Margaret (Marge) Forster Colbert died peacefully at home on Dec. 17, 2021, after a courageous battle with cancer. Marge was surrounded by her six children and husband of 61 years, Gerry.

Marge entered the world in 1938 on a cold and snowy winter night in Richardton, N.D. at the family farm of her parents, Ferdinand and Emilia Forster. She was the youngest of 13 children, six boys and seven girls. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her 12 siblings.

After graduating from St. Mary’s High School in Richardton, N.D., Marge went on to the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. where, in 1960, she graduated with a BA degree in Medical Record Science. It was during these college years she met Gerry, a Duluth native. They were married in the fall of 1960 and lived happily ever after! They were blessed with a wonderful family of four sons, Michael (Lauri) Colbert of Denver, Colo., Dan Colbert of Deer Park, Ill., Bill (Marie) Colbert of Cary, Ill., Patrick (Julia) Colbert of Ponte Vedra, Fla., and two daughters, Debra (Brian) Murphy of Wethersfield, Conn., and Becky (Andy) Dykstra of Ponte Vedra, Fla. Marge was the proud grandmother of 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Marge was the faithful and loving matriarch of the family, especially responsible for the success of her six children, all of whom are college graduates. She was an active member of the Fountain Hills community and was noted for her ability to recruit project volunteers whether it required 10 or even 100 people. This skill was especially useful at the Fountain Hills Library, The River of Time Museum, and Ascension Catholic Church where she was actively involved. She was also an avid bridge player, participating in numerous Fountain Hills groups.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 21, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Messinger’s Funeral Home in Fountain Hills. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Ascension, 12615 N. Fountain Hills Blvd, Fountain Hills, AZ. A private burial service will be held the following day at National Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers please consider a charitable donation, in Marge’s memory, to St. Vincent DePaul Society at the Church of the Ascension.