Margaret Mary Kuhn

June 26, 1940 to August 6, 2025

85 Years Young

On June 26, 1940, nested between the fringes of the forested upper peninsula and the maritime settlement of Saginaw, in a small village called the Brady Township of Chesaning, Michigan, Margaret (Marge) Mary Kuhn (Kelso) was born, along with her twin sister, Alice, to Mary and George Kelso. Marge grew up with Alice, their older brother Tom, and younger brother George Jr. on a farm in Oakley, Ohio and later in Clyde, Ohio, raised by Mary and George, who were first- and second-generation Czechoslovakians.  Marge spoke almost exclusively Czech until she started grade school, and she mastered the English language quickly. Marge had a talent for languages and a love of learning, carrying her to the University of Michigan and then to Bowling Green University studying education, Spanish and French. Along the way, Marge met a German lad, John Kuhn, on a tennis court at Roger Young Park in Fremont, Ohio. After a short tennis match, John told Marge and her friend they needed to keep practicing before playing him again, to which Marge stood her ground and accepted his challenge (after also pushing him over a cement parking block), and their lifelong partnership on and off the tennis court began. Marge and John were married in a simple, private ceremony in 1962. Marge’s quiet strength and determination was a great compliment to John’s gregarious and competitive nature…and she was always correcting his English!

Marge and John grew their family to four children while living in Fremont, Ohio: Shelly Marie (1963), John Junior (Jay) (1966), Cris (1968) and Steve (1970). Shortly after Steve was born, they moved to Bowling Green, Ohio, Marge’s college stomping ground and still close to Alice, Tom and George, extended family, and friends. Family always came first, but while raising their four children, Marge worked outside the home teaching Spanish and also enjoyed spending time with friends and family, the ladies’ curling club, dinner parties, painting, gardening, and (of course) tennis. John’s career at the HJ Heinz Company relocated the family far from Ohio to Muscatine, Iowa in 1974 where Marge and John built their family home on an acreage high on a bluff at Hilltop #2, a new rural neighborhood. As the neighborhood grew, so did many lifelong friendships for the entire family. Marge planted a huge garden and so many trees it was hard to see the house after a few years. They also planted a very tall flagpole that marked the friendly neighborly rivalry---on each Saturday fall morning, rose the maize and blue flag of the Michigan Wolverines towering high for their friendly Iowa Hawkeye neighbors to view. Soon a clay tennis court was added, and, at least for a time, some chickens and a really mean rooster! One night, John and the children smuggled home a big vizsla puppy named Alex, and Marge grew to love him dearly over the 14 years of his life. Raising four children without the support of extended family was not an easy feat, but Marge always put family first and not only was working outside the home, but also running those children to tennis clinics in Davenport, tennis tournaments, baseball, basketball, cello lessons, track, cross county, football, piano lessons, and about everything else in between. Before cell phones and the internet, juggling four children, a career, and the family household (including the finances) took super-woman determination and some darn good patience (not to mention she had to keep John in line as well!). Marge viewed her career as secondary to her family but her talent for languages, especially Spanish, certainly was an asset in the Muscatine area. In the 1970’s and early 1980’s, Marge spent many evenings and weekends teaching English to migrant workers and their families working in the Muscatine melon fields. She truly made a difference and helped many people break the language barrier and learn the culture to create a better life for their families.

As a lifelong learner, Marge instilled the importance of higher education in their children and she and John were proud that all four children attended and graduated from college. Marge was the family “financier” learning the ins-and -outs of investing all on her own. With her financial stewardship, John’s endless dedication to the HJ Heinz Company, and Marge’s contributions, Marge and John retired before turning 60 to New Port Richey, Florida. Marge, with Shelly’s help, designed and built her last home in 1997 in an “over 55” tennis and golf community on the edges of the beautiful Jay Starkey Wilderness Park, complete with a flagpole (albeit not as high!) to fly that Michigan flag on game days. This next chapter of Marge’s life was filled with lots of tennis (both social and competitive), biking the trails of Starkey Park, lazy days on the beach reading, sailing with John, spending time with their children, their spouses and finally grandchildren, making more lifelong friendships, and just enjoying retirement life. Marge and John added many stamps to their passports in their 60s, traveling throughout Europe train jumping to their hearts’ desire, and road tripping throughout the U.S. and Canada.

As Marge reached her early 70s, the sands of time started to slow her down, as she battled and defeated breast cancer and a stroke, but heart issues continued to plague her. Despite health challenges, Marge still got out on the tennis court with John and the grandchildren to hit a few tennis balls. Surfing the internet opened endless doors of opportunity for Marge’s love of learning. Marge spent hours on her trusted MAC laptop enjoying the Florida weather from the patio or the kitchen table, keeping up with latest politics and news, checking on the children and grandchildren, traveling virtually to new places, following the stock market, and learning about whatever piqued her interest. Marge particularly enjoyed going with John, family and friends to her two favorite restaurants: the ladies at Thai Bistro knew her so well that as soon as she walked in the door, they brought her a glass of merlot followed soon by her favorite cashew chicken and eggrolls, and the flaming Saganaki and the cry of “Opaa!” at Hellas Restaurant in Tarpon Springs always made Marge smile and her green eyes sparkle!

Over the years, the family joked a bit with Marge that was she was the last Kelso standing, outliving her parents, Alice, Tom and George by many years. Marge never wanted to outlive her children but she did not get that wish and the death of her beloved Shelly (2020) and Jay (2023) took more spring from her step. While she continued to fight to the very end with hopes of rehabilitation, Marge’s heart could not keep pace with her spirit for life and she died peacefully in John’s arms.

Marge’s trusty MAC is now closed at her spot at the kitchen table. Shortly before Marge passed, she left a handwritten note posted on the refrigerator by pictures of family: “Sometimes we win, and sometimes we learn.” A good life lesson and quintessential Marge.

Marge’s memory will be cherished by her loving husband and life and tennis partner John, her children Cris and Steve, her sons-in-law Dan Leonard and Marc Griggs, her daughter-in-law Jan Kuhn, 8 grandchildren/step-grandchildren, extended family and many friends. Marge is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Alice, her brothers Tom and George, her sister-in-law Maria, her daughter-in-law Lisa, her daughter Shelly, and her son Jay.

In honor of Marge’s wishes, the family will celebrate her life in a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, gifts, and memorials, to honor Marge’s life, the family asks that you take time out of the busy day to spend with family or friends by enjoying a meal at a favorite restaurant, taking a walk or a bike ride, planting some flowers or a tree, or for the tennis buffs, hitting some tennis balls…but enjoy each other and the time that we have together. Say a prayer, raise a glass and prost to Marge!