Margaret “Marge” Claire Clancy
Margaret “Marge” Claire Clancy
Iowa City
Today we honor the life of Margaret Claire Clancy who was known affectionately as Marge to her family and many circles of friends here and abroad. Marge was born and raised on the prairies of Western Canada during the Great Depression. The youngest of three children, her mother was a nationally recognized composer and pianist, and her father was a dean of engineering, a builder of bridges and dams across
North America and a World
War I hero awarded the Victoria Cross by King George V. She was raised in
a household that valued the arts, scholarship and contributing to the community, values that she brought to her own household and family in later years.
Marge had numerous talents including singing, acting, cooking, fashion and clothing arts and she was an avid tennis player, skater, basketball player, curler and swimmer. She had a quick wit, a compassionate ear and a calm yet direct sensibility. She loved to travel and to explore new places, new crafts and new friendships with people from different backgrounds and experiences. Marge married John Clancy in the early 1950s, a young Irishman and physician who was new to Canada and was pursuing professional training in psychiatry. She had recently completed her degree in home economics and was considering a scholarship in fashion design in Montreal. The two were truly inseparable for over 45 years of marriage, together building a life filled with love, laughter, family, travel and loving friends. They moved to Iowa City permanently at the close of the 1950s, where they grew roots in the community and raised their six children.
Marge was active across many venues in Iowa City over nearly seven decades, including costume design for Hancher Auditorium, singing, dancing, and acting with the Iowa City Community Theater, leading music and singing at weekly church services at St. Thomas More Church (accompanied by her two eldest sons) and singing with the St. Mary’s church choir to name a few. She was also an avid reader and instilled a love of books and literature in many of her children and grandchildren. However, Marge’s most lasting legacy will likely be through the children that she raised and their ongoing contributions and leadership to make life better for others through art, music, medicine, dentistry, advocacy and nursing. Her husband John used to comment that with Marge’s many talents she could have been many things, but she chose to be a wife and mother first and poured herself into making a home of safety and exploration for all. Marge’s children have reaped the benefits of her devotion many times over and will miss her deeply.
Marge Clancy is survived by her six children, their spouses and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 14, 2023, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, followed by visitation in the church lower level until 12:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in the name of Marge Clancy to Pure Vision Arts, www.purevisionarts.org/; and the Friends of the Senior Center of Iowa City, www.icseniorcenterfriends.org/donate-now?2.
Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.com.