Margaret "Marge" Jolstad

Mass of Christian Burial for Margaret “Marge” Jolstad, 78, of Cottonwood, will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 27, 2026, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Cottonwood. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 26, from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. with a Rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a Parish Prayer Service at 6:00 p.m. at the Horvath Remembrance Center in Marshall. Visitation will continue on Monday from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Interment will take place at St. Lucas Cemetery in Normania Township.

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.