Obituary of Margaret R. Vasey

Margaret R. Vasey, age 95, formerly of Iowa City, died Friday, December 23, 2005, at the Crestview Care Center in West Branch. A memorial gathering will take place at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, January 7, 2006, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, 2720 Muscatine Avenue, in Iowa City. Margaret Vasey was born Margaret Ruth France October 12, 1910, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the daughter of Charles Washington France and Janette (Smith) France. She graduated from Oskaloosa High School, attended William Penn College in Oskaloosa, received her B.A. degree from Denver University and an M.A. in education from Rutgers University. Margaret’s first teaching job was at a small consolidated high school in Paton, Iowa, where she was immediately handed responsibility for social studies, typing, PE, directing plays and coaching girl’s basketball. She married Wayne Vasey in 1933, in Oskaloosa. They lived in Iowa City from 1948 until 1954 where Wayne served as the first Director of the School of Social Work. The well-traveled couple lived in six states and visited every continent except Antarctica. Among their adventures was an escape, unharmed, from a New Guinea tribe that was going to war wearing mud and carrying spears. This occurred during a visit to their son, Dan, who was working in Papua, New Guinea, at the time. Margaret is survived by her daughter Mary Vasey and husband, Nicholas Johnson, Iowa City; son Daniel Vasey and wife, Greer Vasey, Dubuque; grandchildren Joel Grubbe, San Jose, CA, Jason Grubbe, Iowa City, Karl Grubbe, Bisbee, AZ; Gregory Vasey, Natasha Vasey Ellis and husband Tim, Melbourne, Australia; great-grandson Alec Grubbe of Iowa City; brothers James France, Cedar Rapids; Warren France and wife, Gladys, Oskaloosa; Richard France and wife, Ann, Simpsonville, SC, and sister Mildred Schuerman, Sun City, AZ – all of whom Margaret remained capable of beating at Scrabble until the last, having retired as the family’s championship golfer some ten years earlier. Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, husband Wayne, son Stephen, granddaughter Robin Grubbe, and two brothers, Keith and Howard France. Memorial donations may be sent to the Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52240. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is handling Margaret’s arrangements.