Margaret Kalne

She was born to Elmer and Opal Baker, November 3, 1934, in West Covina, CA. Margaret graduated from Salem High School in 1953 and received a BA in Christian Education from The Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University) in 1959.

Margaret (or Margie as she was known) married Fred Kalne in 1960 and they worked together as missionaries with New Tribes Mission in Bolivia and Panama for 30 years until his death in 1997. She was the hostess of the missionary home in Bolivia and the librarian at the mission school in Panama. After Fred’s death she continued to serve as a missionary in Panama until her retirement 8 years later. Margie is survived by all 6 of their children: Ruth (Adrienne) Robles of Wilsonville, OR; Tim (Fred) Kalne of Denver, CO; Debbie Smith of Salem, OR; Becky Rayner of Denver, CO; Claudia (DeeDee) Syson of Sierra Vista, AZ; and Rachel Pool of Winchester, VA. She is also survived by 19 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

Margie loved God and shared Scripture and comfort with everyone she came in contact with. She loved books and passed that love of reading on to her children. As a missionary she welcomed all who came into her home, often with coffee and brownies. Her favorite place was out of doors enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. People often commented on her cheery smile. She kept her cute sense of humor up until the end.

A Memorial Service open to all will be held at Salem First Baptist Church in Salem, OR on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 1:00 PM. Donations can be made to Margaret Kalne Memorial at Ethnos360 (formerly New Tribes Mission). Funds will be used for the National Training Center in Bolivia.