Liberty County Times, Chester, MT
Margaret Schwan Richter
Margaret Schwan Richter was born in Germany on Feb. 20, 1896. At age 3 she came with her parents Jacob and Magdalena (Fehler) Schwan, from Odessa, Russia to the United States. Her family settled in the Berwick, N.D. community where she later met George Richter. On Nov. 19, 1915, they were married at the Fulda Church south of Berwick. That same year they came to Montana and homesteaded in the Alma community north of Joplin. In later years they moved to a farm south of Inverness.
The product of their happy marriage were 15 children, two of whom died in infancy. When George died suddenly in 1938, they had 13 children at home and Margaret was pregnant with the 14th. That same year their house burned and the following year the depression hit, but she managed to cope with it all because of her strong Christian faith and devout loyalty to her family.
In 1942 they sold the farm and moved into Inverness where she has lived and maintained her own home since. In those earlier years her days were busy making cookies, baking bread, and sewing garments for her children. Although she only had a few years of formal schooling, she was a self-taught scholar. She learned English from the children and neighbors. She was loyal to her church and belonged to the Sacred Heart Ladies Aide Club. In later years her hobbies included sewing, quilting and embroidery work. Her family kidded that she wore out "a lot of sewing machines" over the years. Margaret was a dedicated grandmother and personally made each grandchild a quilt and sunbonnets were her specialty item for the granddaughters. She always had a vegetable and flower garden and enjoyed the solitude of reading and in later years enjoyed soap operas.
Margaret continued to be active until March 8th of last year when illness struck. She entered Liberty County Hospital at that time, followed by a stay in the rest home. On the afternoon of March 20th, she died peacefully at the age of 85 years.
Margaret is survived by six sons; John of Havre, Jacob of Inverness, Chris of Hingham, Frank of Joplin, Raymond of Inverness, and Edwin of Havre; five daughters, Mrs. George (Mary) Mader of Great Falls, Mrs. Orville (Lena) Shore of Inverness, Mrs. Agnes Mader of Great Falls, Mrs. Rodney (Francey) Fraser of Inverness, and Mrs. Charles (Virginia) Adams of Inverness; 57 grandchildren and 39 great grand children; one sister, Juliana Schwan of Havre; and many nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and two infant children; also by two sons, George in 1976 and Joseph in 1978; two brothers, Peter and Frank; three sisters, Eva, Elizabeth, and Agnes; and four grandchildren.
Funeral services were at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Inverness. Interment was in Inverness cemetery.
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Additional info contributed by Jim Schumacher:
Margaret Schwan Richter was born in Strassburg, Kutschurgan, Odessa. She is a German from Russia parents Jacob Schwan, born 1857 and Magdalena Voeller, born 1858, also from Strassburg, Kutschurgan, Odessa