Margaret Astrid Grant

Even though Margaret’s father had responsibilities in city government and her mother had her own seamstress business, the Palmquist family was active in church planting, the city-wide Sunday School movement, and the evangelistic Tent Meeting movement. By age fourteen, Margaret was well known for her dramatic readings and sermons across Chicago.

After graduating two years early from high school, Margaret attended Chicago Evangelistic Institute (which became known after 1955 as Vennard College when it moved to Iowa) where she met Willard Grant, the son of missionaries to China. In 1945, after Willard spent two years in Africa with the Navy, he returned to Chicago to marry Margaret. The couple attended ten years of schooling together at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington and North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois before travelling as Children’s Evangelists across the United States, Canada, and the Orient for 40 years. Together, Willard and Margaret founded Creative Evangelism Inc., a national evangelistic ministry geared to children. Many people may remember attending the Grant meetings which drew crowds numbering from a few hundred to 5,000 children at a time. Audiences delighted in hearing Bible truths and stories—illustrated through music, storytelling, art, and most of all, through hand-made wooden marionettes.

Following their 1993 “retirement” to Covenant Village of Turlock, Margaret and Willard and their marionettes performed annually at the Turlock Skandi Fest; presented programs at schools and churches throughout California; assisted in Friends of International Students at the University of California-Stanislaus; and designed and made sets for the Annual Covenant Village Benefit Dinner. At church, they helped with AWANA ministries, Bible School, mentoring programs and various community outreach ministries.

After Willard passed in 2002, Margaret was determined to keep serving the Lord. As she aged, Margaret’s puppets and puppet stage became smaller. Sometimes she used finger puppets with her walker as her stage. However, she continued writing, participating in Reader’s Theater, prayer groups and Bible Studies; and serving on the Spiritual Dimensions Committee.

Margaret enjoyed encouraging others to use their talents and skills to serve the Lord. Many residents at Covenant Village and people at church would suddenly find themselves dressed in costumes, acting, singing, painting, using their woodworking skills, teaching or giving their testimony. Margaret just knew how to make things happen.

The only thing Margaret regretted was not being able to do more for her Savior.

Margaret was preceded in death by her husband, her brother and a grandson. She is survived by one daughter and son-in-law; three granddaughters and two grandsons-in-laws; five great-grandsons and three great-granddaughters; two sisters-in-laws; a host of nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren; other loved ones whom she grafted into her heart as her own children and grandchildren; and a wealth of beloved, faithful friends.

A funeral service for Margaret will occur at 11:00 AM on Monday, July 2, 2018 at Turlock Covenant Church: 316 Laurel Street, Turlock, California. She will be laid to rest at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery: 32053 W. McCabe Road, Santa Nella, California.