Mass of Christian Burial for Margaret Alvina Remiger, age 67, of Spicer, MN, formerly of Mankato will be held on Friday, August 4, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Cottonwood, MN. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at the church. Burial will be after the reception at the St. Anne’s Cemetery in Wabasso, MN. There will be a Celebration of Life held at the WOW! Zone, 2030 Adams Street, Mankato, MN, on August 4, 2023, beginning at 6:00 p.m. No food/drink will be provided at this event, but will be available for purchase. Margaret was an avid Twins and Vikings fan so Twins and Vikings attire are encouraged at the funeral and Celebration of Life. The Sunset Funeral & Cremation Association in Echo is handling the arrangements.
Margaret Alvina Remiger was born on September 24, 1955, in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, to Harry E. and Louise (Plaetz) Remiger Rice. She was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Faith and graduated from Granite Falls High School in 1973. After high school, she attended Mankato Vocational Technical Institute and graduated from the Sales and Marketing program. Her first job took her to Goldfines in Mankato, MN, and Duluth, MN. In 1978, she started a career with Target where she opened many Target stores in many states. In 1991, she took the job as Store Team Lead of the Mankato Target Store. She remained the Team Lead there until her retirement in May, 2004. To keep busy after her retirement from Target, she went to work at the Bowling Alley in Mankato for a bit and in 2006, she took a position at MRCI, where she retired as the Billing Specialist on August 31, 2020. While in Mankato, she actively volunteered in many organizations including Junior Achievement, United Way, and the MRCI Foundation. Everyone she met quickly became a dear friend. She had a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone at any time. She opened her home to anyone who needed a place to stay (which many of her siblings, nieces, and nephews took advantage of). She hosted several Foreign Exchange Students over the years (Akos Varga of Hungary; Ville Suppala of Finland; Lucas Robeiro of Brazil; Erik Edlund of Sweden; Christian Janssen Parkstad of Norway; Matthieu Huchon of France; Filippo Martinelli of Italy; and Lee of China). Margaret loved to travel and she made it her mission to visit each of the kids in their home countries before she couldn’t travel anymore. She was able to fulfill that mission for the most part as she got to visit all but two of them before she was no longer able to do that due to the cancer that eventually took over her body. After retiring, Margaret simplified her life by selling her home in Mankato and buying a place in Arizona where she could spend the winter months in a warmer climate. She spent the summer months in her camper at the Island View Resort on Nest Lake near Spicer, MN. Margaret had many interests. She enjoyed softball, bowling, and shuffleboard. She was inducted into the Bowling Hall of Fame, served as the President of the United States Bowling Congress for Mankato women, and participated in many national bowling tournaments. She loved watching the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, and the Mankato Moondogs. She also loved her pet birds and cats, but her dogs, Jimi and JR held a special place in her heart.
Margaret passed away on July 25, 2023, at the Mayo Hospital in Mankato. She is survived by her mother, Louise Rice of Granite Falls, MN, and eight siblings: Steve (Jane) Remiger of Wood Lake, MN; Shirley Mock (Ken Oxford) of Hanley Falls, MN, Diane (Dennis) Rasmussen of Hampton, MN; Jeff (Connie) Remiger of Hanley Falls, MN; Linda (Richard) Hagen of Hanley Falls, MN; Sharon Stevens (Steve Hagen) of Cottonwood, MN; Lisa (Clifford) Anderson of Dayton, MN, and Sue (Gene) Munsterman of Mankato, MN; many nieces and nephews, and her beloved grandchildren that she inherited from her foreign exchange students. She was preceded in death by her father, Harry E. Remiger; her step-father, John Rice; her grandparents, Harry J. and Mary Remiger (Siedl) and Anton and Mary (Burtzel) Plaetz; her great nephew, Tristan Miller, and her beloved dog, Jimi.
Margaret’s kind and giving ways will be deeply missed by her family and friends. Her courage and determination were special traits that carried her through her 8-year battle with cancer. May she now rest in peace.