Obituary for Marjorie Ireland to be posted in the Canon City Daily Record and Blackwell Journal-Tribune
Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland, resident of Canon City, Colorado joined her parents, Frederick Allen Geer and Dora Ellen (Sala) Geer, along with her brothers, Richard, Robert, Jerry, Wayne, and Albert, and grandbabies, Cliff and Heidi Burr, in the waiting arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ on December 13, 2012. Marjorie was affiliated with the First Christian Church of the Disciples. Marjorie, the 3rd of 8 children and only daughter of Fred and Dora Geer, was born in Numa, Grant Co., Oklahoma on March 31, 1935. Marjorie, or Jeanne to her friends, was a mercurial soul with dreams above those of the farm girl she was born. Possessing only a GED, she was an avid Genealogist and long time member of the Geer Family Association. Due to her great love of reading and books, she was well-versed in American History, the history of the British Isles, and Mayan and Incan cultures. Marjorie was a wanderer who never truly settled down, even visiting Peru. She had many domestic hobbies including cooking gourmet and Southern-fried meals, sewing, and quilting. Marjorie worked hard her entire life, only recently retiring. She had worked for Seniors, Inc., Lasting Impressions, and The Best Western Restaurant while in Canon City. Marjorie was a member of the Eagle's Auxiliary, and thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with those companions. Marjorie adored her numerous nieces and nephews, but deeply loved her children, Bob (Lyn) Cargo of Katy, Texas and Mary Beth (John) Snyder of Canon City; her 3 grandchildren, Bobby Cargo Jr., Michelle Hibbs and David Burr; and 5 great grandchildren. Her many friends and large family mourn her passing deeply, including her two surviving brothers, Virgil of Washington State, and Galen of North Dakota. Bob and Mary Beth return their mother's deep love and are devastated by her loss. There is to be no Memorial per our mother's request. Her ashes will be interred with her Grandparents, Albert and Lizzie Belle (Hampton) Geer, and brother, Albert, in Lamont, Oklahoma at a later date.
----------
Although the above is factual information, it doesn't begin to capture the woman who was known as Jeanne by her friends and Maggie by her family. Over and over again she was referred to as "sweet". Her friends, the nursing home staff, many family members all refer to her as "sweet". That seems so insipid to me. She could be and was "sweet", "nice", "thoughtful", "loving", and all these other terms that, to me, just don't capture the essence of my mother. "Mercurial soul" and "wanderer" are the closest. I told my daughter, Michelle, Mom's "Mikey", the other day, that my mother was my "Dark Goddess"...tempestuous, incredibly sensual and sexy in her youth and middle age; she loved deeply, but wanted control of that love and the ones who loved her. She demanded and expected that we give her our all. Only a few of us were able to get close to that fire, that passion without getting burnt.
Mom was married twice. The first time, when she was 19 years old, to an equally dark, passionate and fiery soul. William Manly Cargo, another Oklahoma child. Their's was a marriage pretty much made in hell. They fought tooth and nail the entire time, each trying to control the other. The marriage lasted about 5 years. They produced two children, Mary Beth and Bobby Dale; her only children. Jeanne and Bill hated each other until each of their dying days. A pretty awesome passion, I believe. The 2nd marriage to James Joseph Ireland when she was about 31. "Jimmy Joe". In Mexico. That marriage wasn't much prettier, and she left him in Florida after 2 1/2 years without a look back. In later years Mom wasn't even sure the marriage had been legal, but she never attempted to find out or divorce him. I think she felt that kept her safe from other marriage entanglements. Mom had other long term relationships, 2 were of at least 7 years duration, but marriage hadn't been kind to her and she never took the plunge again.
She was incredibly intelligent, as were all the Geer children, with a bright curiosity and avid love of learning that she kept until almost her dying day. I donated an entire library of books to the Mennonites, including all the "Great Courses" Books and CD's that she had, including Math, the Sciences, English Literature, and, of course, her love, History. The number of history books I donated was jaw-dropping. Mom was poor as a church mouse, living only on $800 a month from Social Security, but still managed to buy all of this. Mom was extremely proud of the Geer Family. Long before computers and Ancestry.com made the job easy, she wrote letters to and communicated with other Genealogists searching for her Blood Line. She was astonishingly knowledgeable about her heritage, and would sit and talk for hours about the Geer Family. No one Geer in the chain, beginning with our Pregenitor, George Geer and his brother, Thomas who first stepped foot on American soil in about 1630, would be left out. The amount of genealogical information on paper I have inherited is staggering. On Salas, Hamptons and Allens and others. Her main love, though, was the Geer Family.
Mom was deeply Spiritual, and most definitely was a Christian; however, she lived life on her own terms. She was sometimes passionately cruel to those she loved. Most often she would forget or even deny that she had done anything to hurt a loved one, getting furiously angry when confronted. This caused many a rift, and ultimately an end, to a few of her relationships, even close family relationships. Momma also had a generosity of spirit that was unbelievable. Her many nieces and nephews were recipients of that generosity of spirit, intellectually and emotionally. I've included some of their comments below.
She truly did deeply love all of her family, but her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were her greatest achievement in her eyes. She was so very proud of their intellects, talents, and abilities. She saw herself as the Grand Matriarch of our Clan, and it was so fun to listen to her brag of them to others. I bathed in her fire, but would slip from her control much to her frustration. Her son, her beloved son, Bob. Their relationship tormented her, but, oh, she was so proud of him and his accomplishments. How she worried about her Grandson Bobby Jr. fighting in the Middle East, and how proud she was of his daughter, Keilana. The little horsewoman, beauty queen, and bright young student. Her Mikey, my Michelle, the one so much like herself, that she worried about, and was so very proud of when her Mikey was published. And Michelle's children, the incredibly bright Duncan - a throwback to his Great Grandmother in intellect and sensuality; the loving, stubborn and tenacious William; and, oh, my goodness the long-legged and wandering, fiery Cora who is going to give her mother the same grief my mother gave hers. Her Grandson David. The one not afraid of her fire, and who inherited every bit of it.
Despite all of this, she was terribly frightened of life and the future. I believe the fear and control stemmed from a deep-rooted fear of being destitute and homeless, but mostly of being cast aside and unloved. Her main reason for not wanting a Memorial Service was an honest belief that no one would come. That she was unloved. She was so very wrong. I tried for 1 1/2 years to talk her out of that, but she even had me put it in her Will. I love my mother deeply, and respected her wishes.
I also told my daughter that I will always remember my mother as the beautiful and vibrant hussy. Yes, my mother was a hussy. My mother was a lover of beautiful things, and wanted to touch, be touched, and be surrounded by her definition of beauty. I can so remember her dressing up for dates in those gorgeous swirling chiffon dresses and heels in order to be wooed and to dance. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Men vied for this woman's attention, and she ate it up. I inherited my love of music and dancing from my mother. In 1977 Momma embraced Christian Evangelicalism. I was living with her in Oklahoma City at the time, and she came home and told me she had left all of those beautiful, expensive dresses at a laundromat because the Lord had told her to do so. She never again bought or wore those sexy, gorgeous dresses and heels, nor do I believe, did she ever dance again. I will always, ALWAYS remember the hussy as my mother. My Dark Goddess. This was her from my first awareness until I grew up myself and left in 1972.
Momma had been raised on religion. Her mother, Dora Sala Geer, the daughter of a traveling minister of the Church of the Brethern was deeply spiritual and religious; however, in Mom's tumultuous youth, she wandered from The Fold. From 1977 on her relationship with Jesus Christ was deep and fundamental to her life. He was not only her Saviour; she honestly saw and spoke with Him, seeing him as the one man in her life who would not take advantage of her, or desert her as so many had done before and after. (I love you, Momma.) She loved Jesus with all her heart and soul, and knew he was her Saviour and she would spend eternity in His arms. I believe she will, too.
My mother allowed my brother and me an incredible amount of freedom while we were growing up. I used to ride my bicycle for miles and miles, even chasing rainbows. She taught us to swim, fish, water ski, went to baseball games. I learned to play accordion and to sew. I literally walked with a full moon for blocks one time. i was only 9 or 10. We went to Mexico frequently when we lived in Harlingen, Texas; to the beaches of Padre Island, then to the beaches of Tampa, Sarasota, and others in Florida. In Fort Worth we went to the Zoo, to lakes and swam in the water in the dark. My absolute favorite, though, was going to A&W for corn dogs, onion rings, and rootbeer floats, or to Dairy Queen for hamburgers and banana splits, or vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate. Halloweens were fabulous, going door-to-door and getting Treats in the great costumes she made. She made/sewed the vast majority of our clothes while we were young. Bob and I were the best dressed kids in school. She put together scooters, and trikes, and other complicated toys at Christmas...usually cussing. We belonged to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She taught us table manners, and how to set a beautiful table. She taught us to dance. Standing on her toes, and dancing to "Gentleman" Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline. She taught us to cook. I even had a little homemade cookbook when I was about 11. We would pick out meals, and she would trust me to fix them. We always went to church, no matter where we lived. Not always the same type of church in each town, but to church we definitely went. She gave us 25 cents each Sunday to go to the movies in Harlingen, and even money for a pop and popcorn. She would pick us up when she got off work, or we would walk home. All of this on a waitress's salary. She worried over us, was bewildered by us, and loved us with her entire being.
This complex, vivacious, beautiful woman is gone now. The Wandererer, moving almost on an annual basis from city to city, state to state, with her two children in tow, to find the green grass in life. Hoping and dreaming of finding her White Knight; the man who would love her only, and take care of her.
I knew I loved my mother with all my heart, but the depth of my grief has astounded even me. My mind has a constant, "Momma...Momma...Momma", to the ticking of the nearby clocks, and the rocking of the chair in which I sit. The tears won't stop. I was in absolute awe of and deeply in love with my Momma, Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland. Oh, Momma. I miss you so much. Rest in the Peace of Your Jesus' Arms. Beth
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From her brother, Galen:
Sis, I am not sure how to say "good bye" other than to say that I miss you. Join, now, your brothers and parents who have gone before you. They are waiting, sis. You will be missed by many on this side of that Bar Tennyson wrote about. In some ways, sis, that poem has become our family's poem because we've shared it so many times in each journey that is our lives as a family. Love, Galen
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have cross'd the bar.
I don't think Tennyson minds that our family has adopted this poem to mark crossing.
----------
From her niece, Kisten:
My Aunt Maggie taught me how to set a table and how to dance. I admired her when I was growing up. I thought she was the coolest aunt. When I was a young adult, I would visit with her, Grandma and my dad over at least one pot of coffee. We shared so many common interests in off the wall things. I know she was quirky but she was fun and funny and warm and forgiving like no other. I'd like to beli
eve I inherited at least a few of those qualities from her. I am sorry I hadn't seen her in a couple of years but I am so glad I got to see her when I did and my daughter got to see the myth, the legend, MY Aunt Maggie. Thank you Aunt Maggie for setting a fine table, teaching me how to dance, and helping me remember that life can be magical and forgiveness sets you free. I love you and you will be missed.
----------
From her nephew, Dennis, the other genealogist:
Mary Beth, I am so sorry to hear about your mom. I always enjoyed spending time with her talking about the family. She was a wonderful person whom I will miss very much.
Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland, resident of Canon City, Colorado joined her parents, Frederick Allen Geer and Dora Ellen (Sala) Geer, along with her brothers, Richard, Robert, Jerry, Wayne, and Albert, and grandbabies, Cliff and Heidi Burr, in the waiting arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ on December 13, 2012. Marjorie was affiliated with the First Christian Church of the Disciples. Marjorie, the 3rd of 8 children and only daughter of Fred and Dora Geer, was born in Numa, Grant Co., Oklahoma on March 31, 1935. Marjorie, or Jeanne to her friends, was a mercurial soul with dreams above those of the farm girl she was born. Possessing only a GED, she was an avid Genealogist and long time member of the Geer Family Association. Due to her great love of reading and books, she was well-versed in American History, the history of the British Isles, and Mayan and Incan cultures. Marjorie was a wanderer who never truly settled down, even visiting Peru. She had many domestic hobbies including cooking gourmet and Southern-fried meals, sewing, and quilting. Marjorie worked hard her entire life, only recently retiring. She had worked for Seniors, Inc., Lasting Impressions, and The Best Western Restaurant while in Canon City. Marjorie was a member of the Eagle's Auxiliary, and thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with those companions. Marjorie adored her numerous nieces and nephews, but deeply loved her children, Bob (Lyn) Cargo of Katy, Texas and Mary Beth (John) Snyder of Canon City; her 3 grandchildren, Bobby Cargo Jr., Michelle Hibbs and David Burr; and 5 great grandchildren. Her many friends and large family mourn her passing deeply, including her two surviving brothers, Virgil of Washington State, and Galen of North Dakota. Bob and Mary Beth return their mother's deep love and are devastated by her loss. There is to be no Memorial per our mother's request. Her ashes will be interred with her Grandparents, Albert and Lizzie Belle (Hampton) Geer, and brother, Albert, in Lamont, Oklahoma at a later date.
----------
Although the above is factual information, it doesn't begin to capture the woman who was known as Jeanne by her friends and Maggie by her family. Over and over again she was referred to as "sweet". Her friends, the nursing home staff, many family members all refer to her as "sweet". That seems so insipid to me. She could be and was "sweet", "nice", "thoughtful", "loving", and all these other terms that, to me, just don't capture the essence of my mother. "Mercurial soul" and "wanderer" are the closest. I told my daughter, Michelle, Mom's "Mikey", the other day, that my mother was my "Dark Goddess"...tempestuous, incredibly sensual and sexy in her youth and middle age; she loved deeply, but wanted control of that love and the ones who loved her. She demanded and expected that we give her our all. Only a few of us were able to get close to that fire, that passion without getting burnt.
Mom was married twice. The first time, when she was 19 years old, to an equally dark, passionate and fiery soul. William Manly Cargo, another Oklahoma child. Their's was a marriage pretty much made in hell. They fought tooth and nail the entire time, each trying to control the other. The marriage lasted about 5 years. They produced two children, Mary Beth and Bobby Dale; her only children. Jeanne and Bill hated each other until each of their dying days. A pretty awesome passion, I believe. The 2nd marriage to James Joseph Ireland when she was about 31. "Jimmy Joe". In Mexico. That marriage wasn't much prettier, and she left him in Florida after 2 1/2 years without a look back. In later years Mom wasn't even sure the marriage had been legal, but she never attempted to find out or divorce him. I think she felt that kept her safe from other marriage entanglements. Mom had other long term relationships, 2 were of at least 7 years duration, but marriage hadn't been kind to her and she never took the plunge again.
She was incredibly intelligent, as were all the Geer children, with a bright curiosity and avid love of learning that she kept until almost her dying day. I donated an entire library of books to the Mennonites, including all the "Great Courses" Books and CD's that she had, including Math, the Sciences, English Literature, and, of course, her love, History. The number of history books I donated was jaw-dropping. Mom was poor as a church mouse, living only on $800 a month from Social Security, but still managed to buy all of this. Mom was extremely proud of the Geer Family. Long before computers and Ancestry.com made the job easy, she wrote letters to and communicated with other Genealogists searching for her Blood Line. She was astonishingly knowledgeable about her heritage, and would sit and talk for hours about the Geer Family. No one Geer in the chain, beginning with our Pregenitor, George Geer and his brother, Thomas who first stepped foot on American soil in about 1630, would be left out. The amount of genealogical information on paper I have inherited is staggering. On Salas, Hamptons and Allens and others. Her main love, though, was the Geer Family.
Mom was deeply Spiritual, and most definitely was a Christian; however, she lived life on her own terms. She was sometimes passionately cruel to those she loved. Most often she would forget or even deny that she had done anything to hurt a loved one, getting furiously angry when confronted. This caused many a rift, and ultimately an end, to a few of her relationships, even close family relationships. Momma also had a generosity of spirit that was unbelievable. Her many nieces and nephews were recipients of that generosity of spirit, intellectually and emotionally. I've included some of their comments below.
She truly did deeply love all of her family, but her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were her greatest achievement in her eyes. She was so very proud of their intellects, talents, and abilities. She saw herself as the Grand Matriarch of our Clan, and it was so fun to listen to her brag of them to others. I bathed in her fire, but would slip from her control much to her frustration. Her son, her beloved son, Bob. Their relationship tormented her, but, oh, she was so proud of him and his accomplishments. How she worried about her Grandson Bobby Jr. fighting in the Middle East, and how proud she was of his daughter, Keilana. The little horsewoman, beauty queen, and bright young student. Her Mikey, my Michelle, the one so much like herself, that she worried about, and was so very proud of when her Mikey was published. And Michelle's children, the incredibly bright Duncan - a throwback to his Great Grandmother in intellect and sensuality; the loving, stubborn and tenacious William; and, oh, my goodness the long-legged and wandering, fiery Cora who is going to give her mother the same grief my mother gave hers. Her Grandson David. The one not afraid of her fire, and who inherited every bit of it.
Despite all of this, she was terribly frightened of life and the future. I believe the fear and control stemmed from a deep-rooted fear of being destitute and homeless, but mostly of being cast aside and unloved. Her main reason for not wanting a Memorial Service was an honest belief that no one would come. That she was unloved. She was so very wrong. I tried for 1 1/2 years to talk her out of that, but she even had me put it in her Will. I love my mother deeply, and respected her wishes.
I also told my daughter that I will always remember my mother as the beautiful and vibrant hussy. Yes, my mother was a hussy. My mother was a lover of beautiful things, and wanted to touch, be touched, and be surrounded by her definition of beauty. I can so remember her dressing up for dates in those gorgeous swirling chiffon dresses and heels in order to be wooed and to dance. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Men vied for this woman's attention, and she ate it up. I inherited my love of music and dancing from my mother. In 1977 Momma embraced Christian Evangelicalism. I was living with her in Oklahoma City at the time, and she came home and told me she had left all of those beautiful, expensive dresses at a laundromat because the Lord had told her to do so. She never again bought or wore those sexy, gorgeous dresses and heels, nor do I believe, did she ever dance again. I will always, ALWAYS remember the hussy as my mother. My Dark Goddess. This was her from my first awareness until I grew up myself and left in 1972.
Momma had been raised on religion. Her mother, Dora Sala Geer, the daughter of a traveling minister of the Church of the Brethern was deeply spiritual and religious; however, in Mom's tumultuous youth, she wandered from The Fold. From 1977 on her relationship with Jesus Christ was deep and fundamental to her life. He was not only her Saviour; she honestly saw and spoke with Him, seeing him as the one man in her life who would not take advantage of her, or desert her as so many had done before and after. (I love you, Momma.) She loved Jesus with all her heart and soul, and knew he was her Saviour and she would spend eternity in His arms. I believe she will, too.
My mother allowed my brother and me an incredible amount of freedom while we were growing up. I used to ride my bicycle for miles and miles, even chasing rainbows. She taught us to swim, fish, water ski, went to baseball games. I learned to play accordion and to sew. I literally walked with a full moon for blocks one time. i was only 9 or 10. We went to Mexico frequently when we lived in Harlingen, Texas; to the beaches of Padre Island, then to the beaches of Tampa, Sarasota, and others in Florida. In Fort Worth we went to the Zoo, to lakes and swam in the water in the dark. My absolute favorite, though, was going to A&W for corn dogs, onion rings, and rootbeer floats, or to Dairy Queen for hamburgers and banana splits, or vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate. Halloweens were fabulous, going door-to-door and getting Treats in the great costumes she made. She made/sewed the vast majority of our clothes while we were young. Bob and I were the best dressed kids in school. She put together scooters, and trikes, and other complicated toys at Christmas...usually cussing. We belonged to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She taught us table manners, and how to set a beautiful table. She taught us to dance. Standing on her toes, and dancing to "Gentleman" Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline. She taught us to cook. I even had a little homemade cookbook when I was about 11. We would pick out meals, and she would trust me to fix them. We always went to church, no matter where we lived. Not always the same type of church in each town, but to church we definitely went. She gave us 25 cents each Sunday to go to the movies in Harlingen, and even money for a pop and popcorn. She would pick us up when she got off work, or we would walk home. All of this on a waitress's salary. She worried over us, was bewildered by us, and loved us with her entire being.
This complex, vivacious, beautiful woman is gone now. The Wandererer, moving almost on an annual basis from city to city, state to state, with her two children in tow, to find the green grass in life. Hoping and dreaming of finding her White Knight; the man who would love her only, and take care of her.
I knew I loved my mother with all my heart, but the depth of my grief has astounded even me. My mind has a constant, "Momma...Momma...Momma", to the ticking of the nearby clocks, and the rocking of the chair in which I sit. The tears won't stop. I was in absolute awe of and deeply in love with my Momma, Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland. Oh, Momma. I miss you so much. Rest in the Peace of Your Jesus' Arms. Beth
----------
From her brother, Galen:
Sis, I am not sure how to say "good bye" other than to say that I miss you. Join, now, your brothers and parents who have gone before you. They are waiting, sis. You will be missed by many on this side of that Bar Tennyson wrote about. In some ways, sis, that poem has become our family's poem because we've shared it so many times in each journey that is our lives as a family. Love, Galen
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have cross'd the bar.
I don't think Tennyson minds that our family has adopted this poem to mark crossing.
----------
From her niece, Kisten:
My Aunt Maggie taught me how to set a table and how to dance. I admired her when I was growing up. I thought she was the coolest aunt. When I was a young adult, I would visit with her, Grandma and my dad over at least one pot of coffee. We shared so many common interests in off the wall things. I know she was quirky but she was fun and funny and warm and forgiving like no other. I'd like to beli
eve I inherited at least a few of those qualities from her. I am sorry I hadn't seen her in a couple of years but I am so glad I got to see her when I did and my daughter got to see the myth, the legend, MY Aunt Maggie. Thank you Aunt Maggie for setting a fine table, teaching me how to dance, and helping me remember that life can be magical and forgiveness sets you free. I love you and you will be missed.
----------
From her nephew, Dennis, the other genealogist:
Mary Beth, I am so sorry to hear about your mom. I always enjoyed spending time with her talking about the family. She was a wonderful person whom I will miss very much.
Obituary for Marjorie Ireland to be posted in the Canon City Daily Record and Blackwell Journal-Tribune
Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland, resident of Canon City, Colorado joined her parents, Frederick Allen Geer and Dora Ellen (Sala) Geer, along with her brothers, Richard, Robert, Jerry, Wayne, and Albert, and grandbabies, Cliff and Heidi Burr, in the waiting arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ on December 13, 2012. Marjorie was affiliated with the First Christian Church of the Disciples. Marjorie, the 3rd of 8 children and only daughter of Fred and Dora Geer, was born in Numa, Grant Co., Oklahoma on March 31, 1935. Marjorie, or Jeanne to her friends, was a mercurial soul with dreams above those of the farm girl she was born. Possessing only a GED, she was an avid Genealogist and long time member of the Geer Family Association. Due to her great love of reading and books, she was well-versed in American History, the history of the British Isles, and Mayan and Incan cultures. Marjorie was a wanderer who never truly settled down, even visiting Peru. She had many domestic hobbies including cooking gourmet and Southern-fried meals, sewing, and quilting. Marjorie worked hard her entire life, only recently retiring. She had worked for Seniors, Inc., Lasting Impressions, and The Best Western Restaurant while in Canon City. Marjorie was a member of the Eagle's Auxiliary, and thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with those companions. Marjorie adored her numerous nieces and nephews, but deeply loved her children, Bob (Lyn) Cargo of Katy, Texas and Mary Beth (John) Snyder of Canon City; her 3 grandchildren, Bobby Cargo Jr., Michelle Hibbs and David Burr; and 5 great grandchildren. Her many friends and large family mourn her passing deeply, including her two surviving brothers, Virgil of Washington State, and Galen of North Dakota. Bob and Mary Beth return their mother's deep love and are devastated by her loss. There is to be no Memorial per our mother's request. Her ashes will be interred with her Grandparents, Albert and Lizzie Belle (Hampton) Geer, and brother, Albert, in Lamont, Oklahoma at a later date.
----------
Although the above is factual information, it doesn't begin to capture the woman who was known as Jeanne by her friends and Maggie by her family. Over and over again she was referred to as "sweet". Her friends, the nursing home staff, many family members all refer to her as "sweet". That seems so insipid to me. She could be and was "sweet", "nice", "thoughtful", "loving", and all these other terms that, to me, just don't capture the essence of my mother. "Mercurial soul" and "wanderer" are the closest. I told my daughter, Michelle, Mom's "Mikey", the other day, that my mother was my "Dark Goddess"...tempestuous, incredibly sensual and sexy in her youth and middle age; she loved deeply, but wanted control of that love and the ones who loved her. She demanded and expected that we give her our all. Only a few of us were able to get close to that fire, that passion without getting burnt.
Mom was married twice. The first time, when she was 19 years old, to an equally dark, passionate and fiery soul. William Manly Cargo, another Oklahoma child. Their's was a marriage pretty much made in hell. They fought tooth and nail the entire time, each trying to control the other. The marriage lasted about 5 years. They produced two children, Mary Beth and Bobby Dale; her only children. Jeanne and Bill hated each other until each of their dying days. A pretty awesome passion, I believe. The 2nd marriage to James Joseph Ireland when she was about 31. "Jimmy Joe". In Mexico. That marriage wasn't much prettier, and she left him in Florida after 2 1/2 years without a look back. In later years Mom wasn't even sure the marriage had been legal, but she never attempted to find out or divorce him. I think she felt that kept her safe from other marriage entanglements. Mom had other long term relationships, 2 were of at least 7 years duration, but marriage hadn't been kind to her and she never took the plunge again.
She was incredibly intelligent, as were all the Geer children, with a bright curiosity and avid love of learning that she kept until almost her dying day. I donated an entire library of books to the Mennonites, including all the "Great Courses" Books and CD's that she had, including Math, the Sciences, English Literature, and, of course, her love, History. The number of history books I donated was jaw-dropping. Mom was poor as a church mouse, living only on $800 a month from Social Security, but still managed to buy all of this. Mom was extremely proud of the Geer Family. Long before computers and Ancestry.com made the job easy, she wrote letters to and communicated with other Genealogists searching for her Blood Line. She was astonishingly knowledgeable about her heritage, and would sit and talk for hours about the Geer Family. No one Geer in the chain, beginning with our Pregenitor, George Geer and his brother, Thomas who first stepped foot on American soil in about 1630, would be left out. The amount of genealogical information on paper I have inherited is staggering. On Salas, Hamptons and Allens and others. Her main love, though, was the Geer Family.
Mom was deeply Spiritual, and most definitely was a Christian; however, she lived life on her own terms. She was sometimes passionately cruel to those she loved. Most often she would forget or even deny that she had done anything to hurt a loved one, getting furiously angry when confronted. This caused many a rift, and ultimately an end, to a few of her relationships, even close family relationships. Momma also had a generosity of spirit that was unbelievable. Her many nieces and nephews were recipients of that generosity of spirit, intellectually and emotionally. I've included some of their comments below.
She truly did deeply love all of her family, but her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were her greatest achievement in her eyes. She was so very proud of their intellects, talents, and abilities. She saw herself as the Grand Matriarch of our Clan, and it was so fun to listen to her brag of them to others. I bathed in her fire, but would slip from her control much to her frustration. Her son, her beloved son, Bob. Their relationship tormented her, but, oh, she was so proud of him and his accomplishments. How she worried about her Grandson Bobby Jr. fighting in the Middle East, and how proud she was of his daughter, Keilana. The little horsewoman, beauty queen, and bright young student. Her Mikey, my Michelle, the one so much like herself, that she worried about, and was so very proud of when her Mikey was published. And Michelle's children, the incredibly bright Duncan - a throwback to his Great Grandmother in intellect and sensuality; the loving, stubborn and tenacious William; and, oh, my goodness the long-legged and wandering, fiery Cora who is going to give her mother the same grief my mother gave hers. Her Grandson David. The one not afraid of her fire, and who inherited every bit of it.
Despite all of this, she was terribly frightened of life and the future. I believe the fear and control stemmed from a deep-rooted fear of being destitute and homeless, but mostly of being cast aside and unloved. Her main reason for not wanting a Memorial Service was an honest belief that no one would come. That she was unloved. She was so very wrong. I tried for 1 1/2 years to talk her out of that, but she even had me put it in her Will. I love my mother deeply, and respected her wishes.
I also told my daughter that I will always remember my mother as the beautiful and vibrant hussy. Yes, my mother was a hussy. My mother was a lover of beautiful things, and wanted to touch, be touched, and be surrounded by her definition of beauty. I can so remember her dressing up for dates in those gorgeous swirling chiffon dresses and heels in order to be wooed and to dance. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Men vied for this woman's attention, and she ate it up. I inherited my love of music and dancing from my mother. In 1977 Momma embraced Christian Evangelicalism. I was living with her in Oklahoma City at the time, and she came home and told me she had left all of those beautiful, expensive dresses at a laundromat because the Lord had told her to do so. She never again bought or wore those sexy, gorgeous dresses and heels, nor do I believe, did she ever dance again. I will always, ALWAYS remember the hussy as my mother. My Dark Goddess. This was her from my first awareness until I grew up myself and left in 1972.
Momma had been raised on religion. Her mother, Dora Sala Geer, the daughter of a traveling minister of the Church of the Brethern was deeply spiritual and religious; however, in Mom's tumultuous youth, she wandered from The Fold. From 1977 on her relationship with Jesus Christ was deep and fundamental to her life. He was not only her Saviour; she honestly saw and spoke with Him, seeing him as the one man in her life who would not take advantage of her, or desert her as so many had done before and after. (I love you, Momma.) She loved Jesus with all her heart and soul, and knew he was her Saviour and she would spend eternity in His arms. I believe she will, too.
My mother allowed my brother and me an incredible amount of freedom while we were growing up. I used to ride my bicycle for miles and miles, even chasing rainbows. She taught us to swim, fish, water ski, went to baseball games. I learned to play accordion and to sew. I literally walked with a full moon for blocks one time. i was only 9 or 10. We went to Mexico frequently when we lived in Harlingen, Texas; to the beaches of Padre Island, then to the beaches of Tampa, Sarasota, and others in Florida. In Fort Worth we went to the Zoo, to lakes and swam in the water in the dark. My absolute favorite, though, was going to A&W for corn dogs, onion rings, and rootbeer floats, or to Dairy Queen for hamburgers and banana splits, or vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate. Halloweens were fabulous, going door-to-door and getting Treats in the great costumes she made. She made/sewed the vast majority of our clothes while we were young. Bob and I were the best dressed kids in school. She put together scooters, and trikes, and other complicated toys at Christmas...usually cussing. We belonged to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She taught us table manners, and how to set a beautiful table. She taught us to dance. Standing on her toes, and dancing to "Gentleman" Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline. She taught us to cook. I even had a little homemade cookbook when I was about 11. We would pick out meals, and she would trust me to fix them. We always went to church, no matter where we lived. Not always the same type of church in each town, but to church we definitely went. She gave us 25 cents each Sunday to go to the movies in Harlingen, and even money for a pop and popcorn. She would pick us up when she got off work, or we would walk home. All of this on a waitress's salary. She worried over us, was bewildered by us, and loved us with her entire being.
This complex, vivacious, beautiful woman is gone now. The Wandererer, moving almost on an annual basis from city to city, state to state, with her two children in tow, to find the green grass in life. Hoping and dreaming of finding her White Knight; the man who would love her only, and take care of her.
I knew I loved my mother with all my heart, but the depth of my grief has astounded even me. My mind has a constant, "Momma...Momma...Momma", to the ticking of the nearby clocks, and the rocking of the chair in which I sit. The tears won't stop. I was in absolute awe of and deeply in love with my Momma, Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland. Oh, Momma. I miss you so much. Rest in the Peace of Your Jesus' Arms. Beth
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From her brother, Galen:
Sis, I am not sure how to say "good bye" other than to say that I miss you. Join, now, your brothers and parents who have gone before you. They are waiting, sis. You will be missed by many on this side of that Bar Tennyson wrote about. In some ways, sis, that poem has become our family's poem because we've shared it so many times in each journey that is our lives as a family. Love, Galen
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have cross'd the bar.
I don't think Tennyson minds that our family has adopted this poem to mark crossing.
----------
From her niece, Kisten:
My Aunt Maggie taught me how to set a table and how to dance. I admired her when I was growing up. I thought she was the coolest aunt. When I was a young adult, I would visit with her, Grandma and my dad over at least one pot of coffee. We shared so many common interests in off the wall things. I know she was quirky but she was fun and funny and warm and forgiving like no other. I'd like to beli
eve I inherited at least a few of those qualities from her. I am sorry I hadn't seen her in a couple of years but I am so glad I got to see her when I did and my daughter got to see the myth, the legend, MY Aunt Maggie. Thank you Aunt Maggie for setting a fine table, teaching me how to dance, and helping me remember that life can be magical and forgiveness sets you free. I love you and you will be missed.
----------
From her nephew, Dennis, the other genealogist:
Mary Beth, I am so sorry to hear about your mom. I always enjoyed spending time with her talking about the family. She was a wonderful person whom I will miss very much.
Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland, resident of Canon City, Colorado joined her parents, Frederick Allen Geer and Dora Ellen (Sala) Geer, along with her brothers, Richard, Robert, Jerry, Wayne, and Albert, and grandbabies, Cliff and Heidi Burr, in the waiting arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ on December 13, 2012. Marjorie was affiliated with the First Christian Church of the Disciples. Marjorie, the 3rd of 8 children and only daughter of Fred and Dora Geer, was born in Numa, Grant Co., Oklahoma on March 31, 1935. Marjorie, or Jeanne to her friends, was a mercurial soul with dreams above those of the farm girl she was born. Possessing only a GED, she was an avid Genealogist and long time member of the Geer Family Association. Due to her great love of reading and books, she was well-versed in American History, the history of the British Isles, and Mayan and Incan cultures. Marjorie was a wanderer who never truly settled down, even visiting Peru. She had many domestic hobbies including cooking gourmet and Southern-fried meals, sewing, and quilting. Marjorie worked hard her entire life, only recently retiring. She had worked for Seniors, Inc., Lasting Impressions, and The Best Western Restaurant while in Canon City. Marjorie was a member of the Eagle's Auxiliary, and thoroughly enjoyed her time spent with those companions. Marjorie adored her numerous nieces and nephews, but deeply loved her children, Bob (Lyn) Cargo of Katy, Texas and Mary Beth (John) Snyder of Canon City; her 3 grandchildren, Bobby Cargo Jr., Michelle Hibbs and David Burr; and 5 great grandchildren. Her many friends and large family mourn her passing deeply, including her two surviving brothers, Virgil of Washington State, and Galen of North Dakota. Bob and Mary Beth return their mother's deep love and are devastated by her loss. There is to be no Memorial per our mother's request. Her ashes will be interred with her Grandparents, Albert and Lizzie Belle (Hampton) Geer, and brother, Albert, in Lamont, Oklahoma at a later date.
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Although the above is factual information, it doesn't begin to capture the woman who was known as Jeanne by her friends and Maggie by her family. Over and over again she was referred to as "sweet". Her friends, the nursing home staff, many family members all refer to her as "sweet". That seems so insipid to me. She could be and was "sweet", "nice", "thoughtful", "loving", and all these other terms that, to me, just don't capture the essence of my mother. "Mercurial soul" and "wanderer" are the closest. I told my daughter, Michelle, Mom's "Mikey", the other day, that my mother was my "Dark Goddess"...tempestuous, incredibly sensual and sexy in her youth and middle age; she loved deeply, but wanted control of that love and the ones who loved her. She demanded and expected that we give her our all. Only a few of us were able to get close to that fire, that passion without getting burnt.
Mom was married twice. The first time, when she was 19 years old, to an equally dark, passionate and fiery soul. William Manly Cargo, another Oklahoma child. Their's was a marriage pretty much made in hell. They fought tooth and nail the entire time, each trying to control the other. The marriage lasted about 5 years. They produced two children, Mary Beth and Bobby Dale; her only children. Jeanne and Bill hated each other until each of their dying days. A pretty awesome passion, I believe. The 2nd marriage to James Joseph Ireland when she was about 31. "Jimmy Joe". In Mexico. That marriage wasn't much prettier, and she left him in Florida after 2 1/2 years without a look back. In later years Mom wasn't even sure the marriage had been legal, but she never attempted to find out or divorce him. I think she felt that kept her safe from other marriage entanglements. Mom had other long term relationships, 2 were of at least 7 years duration, but marriage hadn't been kind to her and she never took the plunge again.
She was incredibly intelligent, as were all the Geer children, with a bright curiosity and avid love of learning that she kept until almost her dying day. I donated an entire library of books to the Mennonites, including all the "Great Courses" Books and CD's that she had, including Math, the Sciences, English Literature, and, of course, her love, History. The number of history books I donated was jaw-dropping. Mom was poor as a church mouse, living only on $800 a month from Social Security, but still managed to buy all of this. Mom was extremely proud of the Geer Family. Long before computers and Ancestry.com made the job easy, she wrote letters to and communicated with other Genealogists searching for her Blood Line. She was astonishingly knowledgeable about her heritage, and would sit and talk for hours about the Geer Family. No one Geer in the chain, beginning with our Pregenitor, George Geer and his brother, Thomas who first stepped foot on American soil in about 1630, would be left out. The amount of genealogical information on paper I have inherited is staggering. On Salas, Hamptons and Allens and others. Her main love, though, was the Geer Family.
Mom was deeply Spiritual, and most definitely was a Christian; however, she lived life on her own terms. She was sometimes passionately cruel to those she loved. Most often she would forget or even deny that she had done anything to hurt a loved one, getting furiously angry when confronted. This caused many a rift, and ultimately an end, to a few of her relationships, even close family relationships. Momma also had a generosity of spirit that was unbelievable. Her many nieces and nephews were recipients of that generosity of spirit, intellectually and emotionally. I've included some of their comments below.
She truly did deeply love all of her family, but her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were her greatest achievement in her eyes. She was so very proud of their intellects, talents, and abilities. She saw herself as the Grand Matriarch of our Clan, and it was so fun to listen to her brag of them to others. I bathed in her fire, but would slip from her control much to her frustration. Her son, her beloved son, Bob. Their relationship tormented her, but, oh, she was so proud of him and his accomplishments. How she worried about her Grandson Bobby Jr. fighting in the Middle East, and how proud she was of his daughter, Keilana. The little horsewoman, beauty queen, and bright young student. Her Mikey, my Michelle, the one so much like herself, that she worried about, and was so very proud of when her Mikey was published. And Michelle's children, the incredibly bright Duncan - a throwback to his Great Grandmother in intellect and sensuality; the loving, stubborn and tenacious William; and, oh, my goodness the long-legged and wandering, fiery Cora who is going to give her mother the same grief my mother gave hers. Her Grandson David. The one not afraid of her fire, and who inherited every bit of it.
Despite all of this, she was terribly frightened of life and the future. I believe the fear and control stemmed from a deep-rooted fear of being destitute and homeless, but mostly of being cast aside and unloved. Her main reason for not wanting a Memorial Service was an honest belief that no one would come. That she was unloved. She was so very wrong. I tried for 1 1/2 years to talk her out of that, but she even had me put it in her Will. I love my mother deeply, and respected her wishes.
I also told my daughter that I will always remember my mother as the beautiful and vibrant hussy. Yes, my mother was a hussy. My mother was a lover of beautiful things, and wanted to touch, be touched, and be surrounded by her definition of beauty. I can so remember her dressing up for dates in those gorgeous swirling chiffon dresses and heels in order to be wooed and to dance. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Men vied for this woman's attention, and she ate it up. I inherited my love of music and dancing from my mother. In 1977 Momma embraced Christian Evangelicalism. I was living with her in Oklahoma City at the time, and she came home and told me she had left all of those beautiful, expensive dresses at a laundromat because the Lord had told her to do so. She never again bought or wore those sexy, gorgeous dresses and heels, nor do I believe, did she ever dance again. I will always, ALWAYS remember the hussy as my mother. My Dark Goddess. This was her from my first awareness until I grew up myself and left in 1972.
Momma had been raised on religion. Her mother, Dora Sala Geer, the daughter of a traveling minister of the Church of the Brethern was deeply spiritual and religious; however, in Mom's tumultuous youth, she wandered from The Fold. From 1977 on her relationship with Jesus Christ was deep and fundamental to her life. He was not only her Saviour; she honestly saw and spoke with Him, seeing him as the one man in her life who would not take advantage of her, or desert her as so many had done before and after. (I love you, Momma.) She loved Jesus with all her heart and soul, and knew he was her Saviour and she would spend eternity in His arms. I believe she will, too.
My mother allowed my brother and me an incredible amount of freedom while we were growing up. I used to ride my bicycle for miles and miles, even chasing rainbows. She taught us to swim, fish, water ski, went to baseball games. I learned to play accordion and to sew. I literally walked with a full moon for blocks one time. i was only 9 or 10. We went to Mexico frequently when we lived in Harlingen, Texas; to the beaches of Padre Island, then to the beaches of Tampa, Sarasota, and others in Florida. In Fort Worth we went to the Zoo, to lakes and swam in the water in the dark. My absolute favorite, though, was going to A&W for corn dogs, onion rings, and rootbeer floats, or to Dairy Queen for hamburgers and banana splits, or vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate. Halloweens were fabulous, going door-to-door and getting Treats in the great costumes she made. She made/sewed the vast majority of our clothes while we were young. Bob and I were the best dressed kids in school. She put together scooters, and trikes, and other complicated toys at Christmas...usually cussing. We belonged to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She taught us table manners, and how to set a beautiful table. She taught us to dance. Standing on her toes, and dancing to "Gentleman" Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline. She taught us to cook. I even had a little homemade cookbook when I was about 11. We would pick out meals, and she would trust me to fix them. We always went to church, no matter where we lived. Not always the same type of church in each town, but to church we definitely went. She gave us 25 cents each Sunday to go to the movies in Harlingen, and even money for a pop and popcorn. She would pick us up when she got off work, or we would walk home. All of this on a waitress's salary. She worried over us, was bewildered by us, and loved us with her entire being.
This complex, vivacious, beautiful woman is gone now. The Wandererer, moving almost on an annual basis from city to city, state to state, with her two children in tow, to find the green grass in life. Hoping and dreaming of finding her White Knight; the man who would love her only, and take care of her.
I knew I loved my mother with all my heart, but the depth of my grief has astounded even me. My mind has a constant, "Momma...Momma...Momma", to the ticking of the nearby clocks, and the rocking of the chair in which I sit. The tears won't stop. I was in absolute awe of and deeply in love with my Momma, Marjorie Ellen Geer Cargo Ireland. Oh, Momma. I miss you so much. Rest in the Peace of Your Jesus' Arms. Beth
----------
From her brother, Galen:
Sis, I am not sure how to say "good bye" other than to say that I miss you. Join, now, your brothers and parents who have gone before you. They are waiting, sis. You will be missed by many on this side of that Bar Tennyson wrote about. In some ways, sis, that poem has become our family's poem because we've shared it so many times in each journey that is our lives as a family. Love, Galen
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have cross'd the bar.
I don't think Tennyson minds that our family has adopted this poem to mark crossing.
----------
From her niece, Kisten:
My Aunt Maggie taught me how to set a table and how to dance. I admired her when I was growing up. I thought she was the coolest aunt. When I was a young adult, I would visit with her, Grandma and my dad over at least one pot of coffee. We shared so many common interests in off the wall things. I know she was quirky but she was fun and funny and warm and forgiving like no other. I'd like to beli
eve I inherited at least a few of those qualities from her. I am sorry I hadn't seen her in a couple of years but I am so glad I got to see her when I did and my daughter got to see the myth, the legend, MY Aunt Maggie. Thank you Aunt Maggie for setting a fine table, teaching me how to dance, and helping me remember that life can be magical and forgiveness sets you free. I love you and you will be missed.
----------
From her nephew, Dennis, the other genealogist:
Mary Beth, I am so sorry to hear about your mom. I always enjoyed spending time with her talking about the family. She was a wonderful person whom I will miss very much.
Inscription
Front of Headstone: "Jeanne" Marjorie Ellen (Geer) Ireland, Mar 31, 1935, Dec. 13, 2012. Back of Headstone: IRELAND Beloved Mother of Beth & Bob Cargo
