Margaret D. Mckibben

Margaret D. McKibben, born on February 04, 1922 in Zurich, Kansas, died at home in Lakewood, Colorado on November 20, 2020 at 98 years old. In her own words she was ready to leave and be with her Lord. Margaret was the wife of Alvin C. McKibben and mother of Mary Tereasa McKibben, both deceased. She is survived by two sisters and one brother as well as her 10 children; Thomas, Charles, Timothy, Joseph, Terrence, Margaret, Theodore, and Daniel McKibben, Rita Feldman, and Linda Humphrey.

Margaret was a 1st Lieutenant who served overseas for two years in the Unites States Army Nurse Corp during WWII. A young girl during the dust bowl on the prairies of Kansas, the great depression, and WWII were all foundational in the formation of her secure and unwavering faith and trust in Jesus Christ. That faith would be tested many times in her long life, and there was nothing which could stand between her and The Lord.

She met her husband Alvin C. McKibben during a brief overlay in Denver before they deployed for the last years of WWII. They shared many memories of their WWII experiences, he as a Chief Petty Officer on the USS Alabama, and Margaret as an 1st Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corp, part of which was served in the Philippine theatre during harrowing times; their stories were sometimes humorous, other times somber, and some quite disheartening during their military careers. They married shortly after the war and devoted themselves to their marriage of 51 years before Alvin passed in 1997.

More than her early childhood, the dust bowl, the depression and WWII which undergirded her faith, it was her 51 year marriage to Alvin, and rearing a large family, that challenged and nurtured her deep faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the course of the first 20 years of their marriage, they had eleven children, which they would spend the balance of their years together raising. It would be remiss not to mention how her love, care and faith sustained her during the early years of her marriage and childbearing. Those early years were defined by Alvin's struggle with alcohol abuse which he eventually and heroically overcame. The Big Book and learning to take one day at a time became the family mantra. At the same time she was raising a family she also worked as a Registered Nurse and retired after a 35 year career in nursing. She worked most of those years at Saint Anthony hospital in Denver, Colorado and worked in the surgery and newborn nursery units.

As a young woman Margaret often thought of becoming a nun, but in her words, she chose the more challenging vocation of marriage and family. She often expanded the horizons of her care and love to the community, serving as a hospice volunteer for several years, soup kitchens, local church / parish support, various charities, adoption agencies, and was more-than-a-friend to many people who sought her counsel and inner wisdom throughout the years. Her counsel was sometimes tough, but always tempered with love, care, with ample doses of humor. Perhaps because she was 'hard of hearing' she developed into one of the most patient and attentive listeners to all who cared to sit at the table and share with her.

Families grow and grow hers did to include daughters-in-law Sandi (Piastro) McKibben , Peggy (Trichie) McKibben, Tonia (Andel) McKibben, Jenette McKibben, and Nerida McKibben, and sons-in-law George Martinez, Chuck Humphrey and Tim Feldman. Margaret had eighteen grandchildren, twenty-eight great, and three great-great grandchildren.

In a recorded video just a few days before her departure, sound of mind, yet weary in body, she said " life has not always been easy, especially with a bunch of kids, but I don't regret anything in my life, I feel fortunate that I have come to know Jesus, I feel, in a very intimate way; I know I am not going to live much longer, and I am just here to say good-bye to everybody, and I'll see you again sometime".