Margaret Catherine “Marge” McClain passed away on June 12, 2018, at Good Samaritan Home McReynolds Unit.

Marge was born on January 26, 1920, at 1116 Maine in Quincy, Illinois, to George Walter and Alice (Hellstern) McIntire. She married Elmo (Mac) McClain on December 26, 1946. Mac passed away on June 15, 1972, when he was serving as a House Member in the Illinois Legislature.

Marge McClain attended St. Peter Grade School and graduated from Quincy High School in 1937. Her interest in newspaper writing was increased when she was able to interview Amelia Earhart for the school paper. She attended Gem City College in 1937-38. She was a copy-writer for Halbach-Schroeder Department Store from 1938 to 1941when she was promoted to advertising manager, a position she held until 1943. Marge was a volunteer Red Cross nurse’s aide in 1942 and 1943.

Marge enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in October of 1943, as a combat correspondent. She served two years as a public relations officer. Her job was to write columns which often were sent to national news agencies about heroic actions by the Marines during the War. She interviewed dignitaries and soldiers returning from the front. Once she was assigned to write a story about a polo match (of which she knew nothing); she recruited a spectator to help her understand the rules. She served at Quantico, Virginia. The most difficult assignments were the articles she prepared to inform local media outlets about Marines killed during battle; sometimes the article had to include the details about a fire fight.

She often told family members that she would just be sitting at her typewriter writing the story while tears were running down her cheeks. One of the pictures she was proud to show was one of her communication team listening to the radio as Japan announced its surrender, ending World War II. After she was discharged her Mom came to DC and they spent a week together before they took the train home. Marge loved that time just with her mother.

When she returned to Quincy she attended Quincy College and much later earned her degree. She had been childhood friends with Catherine McClain, and Catherine’s brother Mac was a tolerated pest, but all that changed after the war. They started dating and soon were married at the Quincy College Chapel.

They lived in the 20th & Chestnut dormitories which looked much like barracks. They started having children and soon moved to the Aviston, Breese and Carlyle area for Mac’s coaching positions. Marge was a coach’s wife and mother. Later Mac was the first basketball and baseball coach at Mater Dei High School in Breese. They moved back to Quincy when Christian Brothers was built at 10th and Jackson and Mac assumed the head basketball coach position there.

On September 15, 1963, Marge and Mac lost their second oldest child, Patrick, to cancer. It devastated them but as Marge would later say the rest of the kids had to eat, clothes had to be cleaned and so they had to move forward.

Marge often commented that a coach’s wife has a lot of nights when games or practices are late and you just “adjust your family and your life”. In 1964, Mac was elected on what was called the “bed sheet ballot” as a state representative. They loved the students and athletes in southern Illinois and in Quincy. It was a hard decision to leave one vocation for another. Being a coach’s wife helped her to be a terrific legislator’s spouse. She loved doing the graphics for the political brochures, a talent she learned while at Halbach’s. She enjoyed politics and the discussions about public policy. In those days there wasn’t the constant acrimony that there is now. Candidates fought hard to get elected but that did not carry over. Mac was gone a lot, but it was similar to when he was coaching.

Marge taught special education at Quincy High School from 1970-1972.

In the next few years she dedicated all of her energy to raising her children some of whom were still quite young.

In 1976, she began teaching sixth grade at St. Peter’s Grade School. She loved it. She loved her students. She enjoyed going on Father Roy Bauer’s annual trips to Washington D.C. with the 8th grade class. Father expected a lot of the “volunteer” chaperones and Marge thrived on the trips. Father and Marge created all kinds of security measures to make sure students were not slipping out of their hotel rooms at night, sometimes using tape or other items to place at the top of the hotel room doors so that they could detect the roamers.

Marge retired in 1990. Even up to her recent illness she would go to Kelly’s and some “old” student would come up to her and tell her that Marge was their teacher in sixth grade at St. Peter’s; she would respond by telling them something that they did or did not do while being her student. She was mostly positive.

Marge loved parties. She was famous for her New Year’s Eve parties which included homemade appetizers, music and more often than not Charades. St. Patrick’s Day was another “must”. Marge loved people and enjoyed being around people. Marge loved her back yard. The open air, the sound of children playing, watching the birds and then the sunsets.

She would say there were two additional special moments in her life. One was going on an Honor Flight to Washington D.C. The trip and the very personal parts of the trip she talked about until her latest illness. She beamed when she talked about the honor of being the Grand Marshall of the Veterans Day Parade on November 4, 2017. She could not believe she was asked.

In particular Marge McClain was a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. As mother she adored her children. She was thrilled when they had children and she felt blessed that she had 24 grandchildren. She lived for their happiness. Then because she lived as long as she did she had ten great-grandchildren and one on the way. She was constantly inquiring of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren about their activities and work.
In her long life she had some wonderful pastimes. She enjoyed traveling, golf, dancing, music, board games like Probe and Pit, reading, cross word puzzles, bridge, cribbage, knitting, oil painting, watching old movies, family reunions, Atlantis, any kind of card game and entertaining. She just loved life.

At the core of her being was her faith. For years and years, she was a daily mass attendant. She prayed a lot. She had, as she would say, her “ups and downs” but her faith in God and the Catholic church gave her strength and sustained her during some difficult and happy times. Often by her bed or her chair where she read, listened to music or talked to visitors was her rosary. Her faith was the core of her soul.

Survivors include her children, Michael (Lucinda) McClain, Kevin (Linda) McClain, Kathy Henigan, Molly (Jeff) Stroot, Chris (Mary Lou) McClain, Mary Grant and Anne (Paul) Sidrys. Her twenty-four grandchildren are Patrick (Sarah) McClain, Colleen (Billy) Ogden, Dan (Melissa) McClain, Glen McClain, Meredith McClain, Bridget McClain, Meghan McClain, Todd (Dana Hamada) Henigan, Flynn Henigan, Alex (Eden) Henigan, Allison Stroot, Sam (Isabella Vel) Stroot, Garrett (Michelle) Stroot, Hannah Stroot, Tyler (Kristen) McClain, Laura McClain, Brian McClain, Gerry Grant, Libby Grant, Charlie Grant, Lydia Sidrys, Will Sidrys, Lucy Sidrys and Vivian Sidrys.

Her ten great-grandchildren are: Zoe and Rowan McClain, Sean, Katie and Mac Ogden, Fiona McClain, Roy and Wes Henigan, Ray Henigan. Avery McClain and a Baby McClain on the way.

Her two nephews John (Trish) Ruble and Robert (Sheila) Ruble survive her along with numerous great nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents, her husband, her son Patrick, sisters Mary Stegeman and Betty Ruble, brother Edward McIntire, nephews Ted Ruble and Dick Stegeman and niece Alice Ann Stegeman.

SERVICES: A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, June 18, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. in the Church of St. Peter by Monsignor Leo Enlow. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Military Honors to be conducted graveside.
VISITATION: Sunday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Duker & Haugh Funeral Home
MEMORIALS: Elmo “Mac” and Marge McClain Scholarship Fund at Quincy Notre Dame Foundation, Elmo “Mac” and Margaret McClain Scholarship at Quincy University or the charity of the donor’s choice.
ARRANGEMENTS: Duker and Haugh Funeral Home www.dukerandhaugh.com