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Marjorie (Marge) Costigan

| Spring 2025 Inspire(d)

Probituary: A Notice of Life! Marge was interviewed by friend Sharon Carl Seney

At age 105, Marjorie (Marge) Costigan is a real treasure for Elkader. You might think that Marge would live in a nursing home or assisted living facility. In fact, Marge lives in her own home near the Turkey River. She is a slight woman who walks around freely, is up-to-date on politics, reads, plays bridge, and entertains others. Marge even likes to make up fun little poems like the one in the last question below. Her children are all retired and able to visit often, and a niece in town is very good help to her. Most notably, she is people-oriented and fun to be around. Her friends consult her when they have questions about bridge rules or how to play a hand. She is one of few surviving World War II veterans, having served in the US Navy Reserve’s WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).

What did you want to be and do when you grew up?

At first, I wanted to be a dancer. As I got older, I would have liked to have gone to law school.  But I was the youngest of four children, and it was during the Depression; so that was not possible. What I did do was teach school a year in Colesburg, Iowa, and a year in Northwood, Iowa. Then my sister Elizabeth and I thought our life was boring, so we decided to go out West. We moved to Tacoma, Washington, and I taught there for a year.

What other things have you done?

After teaching in Tacoma, my sister and I decided to join the service (the WAVES). I went to Hunter College in New York and then was sent to Milledgeville, Georgia, and from there to Pasco, Washington. It was about 30 miles from Hanford, where there was a nuclear production facility. There were big fences and wires where they had the plutonium.

What came next in your life?

In 1945, I married John Clark Costigan at the air base in Pasco, Washington. We returned to Elkader, and I have lived here ever since. Clark was a contractor, and we had four children. Heidi lives in Minneapolis; John lives in Florida; and Colleen lives in Seattle. Dan (Dino) divides his time between Washington state and Elkader. Clark and I traveled all over the world. We went to Europe, to Russia, to Morocco, and flew over the Himalayan Mountains. Our most exotic trip was to China; we went up the Yangtze River on a Chinese boat. Our last trip was to Australia.

What hobbies and interests do you enjoy at this point in your life?

My big interest is in the Carter House Museum in Elkader. I go there on Thursdays in good weather and help maintain the museum and work on displays. I have done research with David Beck of Elkader and wrote up a history of the house. I have a Kindle and read books on it and also listen to books provided by the Iowa Commission for the Blind. All my life I have read the newspaper while having my morning coffee. I like to play bridge and go out for pizza on Friday night. In the past I loved playing golf. I am interested in the history of religion.

What is the best advice anyone every gave you?

My mother always said, “This too shall pass.” That has helped me get through difficult times. I was born in 1919, when the flu was rampant, and I have lived through the Dust Bowl, the Depression, and World War II.

Describe yourself in one or two sentences:

“I’m weary, I’m old, and my feet are cold. I’m ready to fold.” I’m a realist and a people person.

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