Margaret Jannotta
Margaret L. Jannotta passed peacefully away at home, August 27, 2025, in the arms of her children.
She was born in Evansville, Indiana, May 1935, where she grew up with her Grandma, mother and sister. Despite their meager existence, Marge was born with a spirit of adventure, and an endless curiosity of her world. She had many childhood hobbies including building her own scooter, selling Life Magazine subscriptions door to door at age 6 (until Life asked her to stop), finding and befriending a newborn kitten to carry in her pocket (until it died), checking out large oversized books from the library, despite her inability to read (which her Mom had to lug back), and, unannounced, visiting a neighbor lady to plunk on her typewriter (until she was asked to not come back).
As a teenager she went to work at the soda counter of her local pharmacy. She and her sister’s jobs went to support the family. Her grandmother, having formerly spent time in jail for adultery, would occasionally come home with some small food items lifted from the local grocer.
At the age of 17, carrying her energetic spirit and curosity, she left home and moved to Chicago where she stayed at the YWCA, worked at a local pharmacy, and saved enough money to graduate from secretarial school. Her first professional job was as a secretary at the ad agency Foote, Cone and Belding.
Her new passion turned to fashion. She had a good eye and wore well-made, classic clothes, shoes, hats and accessories. This ability later translated into home design……yes, in the late 60’s our home sported blue multi color shag carpet, brown and green leaf patterned furniture, fluorescent green, orange and yellow bedroom furniture, and avocado appliances.
At 26, she met and married her husband, moved to the suburbs, and had 3 children, a boy and 2 girls. Her new passion: her babies. The 3 were close in age, all in diapers at the same time. If there was a checklist of traits you hoped for in a mother, she checked each and every one. Passionate, unconditionally loving, patient, sharing her spirit of adventure and curiosity. They took swimming lessons (with more than one diaper accident), dance class, tennis, baseball. They took art classes, read books at the library, went to museums and explored new restaurants. Every year, they had lunch at The Walnut Room at Marshall fields and a visit to Santa. The depths of her love never wavered; thinking of her children over herself, through their adulthoods, their marriages, life challenges. She loved her children more than her life. Regardless of where she was in life, she dropped everything, including her new life she had made for herself in the Atlanta area.
When she was 37, she went back to school to obtain her GED; staying up well into the night, sitting in the cold kitchen with the oven door cracked open for warmth while they slept. Her determination and spirit carried her through college and nursing school where, in 1984, she graduated with honors from Harper College with a degree in nursing.
At 47 in 1982, she went to work for Rush Hospital in Chicago as a pre and post-op patient nurse. Marge had immense compassion and a quiet, loving, honesty working with her patients. She was also confident and kind, capable and gentle. She left Rush after 12 years of service, with a small pension.
Marge divorced in 1990. Although she had moved to Atlanta, her heart was at home. She returned after 3 years where she lived a full and independent life until her death.
In 1993 she continued her nursing career at a local surgical center where she became the highest paid nurse in the entire company. She worked there until age 85, Covid encouraging her to retire in 2020.
Still energetic, adventurous and always curious, she spent more time with her grown children and now grandchildren, neighbors, family and friends. She drove, cooked and was happily independent. Her passions included reading cookbooks in bed late at night, spending many full days tending her garden, snowplowing her driveway, sidewalk, and sometimes the neighbor’s driveway, cooking dinners for her children, and drinking her Moscato box wine (ugh, right?).
Marge touched every life she encountered. She was honest (sometimes having little filter,) generous, kind, giving, always making herself available to help anyone in need.
Dogs! She went for walks, pockets filled with treats, Marge was even loved by the neighborhood pets.
Marge never complained. She never regretted any decisions she made in life. 3 years prior to her death, she started to become distracted. She often had stomach issues…. still never complaining about the painful cancer growing in her pancreas and liver. Her life went on through those 3 years, until she just couldn’t do it anymore. When she turned 90 on May 2025, her large family celebrated with her in style. Families came from Maine, Utah, Florida, California, Texas and Maryland, nobody knowing, even her, that the celebration would be the last time they ever see her again.
She was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer which had moved into the liver and surrounding lymph nodes, 2 months after her birthday party. Marge’s youngest daughter moved in with her to oversee her medical needs. Hospice was called within 2 weeks of her diagnosis. Her 2 other children came for visits weekly with the desperate need to share a lifetime of stories and memories. In her final 10 days, her other daughter moved in as she needed extra attention. They worked day and night. 2 days before she died, she sat straight up in bed, looking into her daughter’s eyes, told her she loved her, pulling her into her arms and kissing her.
At 8:18 p.m. om August 27, 1 month and 1 day after ger diagnosis, exhaled her last breath in the arms of her children.
Loving Mom, sister, sister-in-law, cousin, aunt, grandma, great grandma, great, great grandma, best friend. For a thousand years and a thousand more, always and forever beautiful angel.
In lieu of flowers, please consider make the donation to The Foundation Fighting Blindness.