Margaret Kluk

Margaret Mary (Pirkl) Kluk, age 91, of Forest Lake, MN, was born into eternal life on August 19, 2009, surrounded by several members of  her family at Birchwood Care Center.


Margaret was born on April 7, 1918 to Edward and Josephine (Schuster) Pirkl on their family farm near Pine City, MN.  She attended District 47 West Elementary School, a one room country schoolhouse, and Pine City High School.  She walked the six mile roundtrip each day to high school and graduated in 1937. Following graduation she worked as a housekeeper in Pine City and then moved to St. Paul where she attended business school classes.   She then worked as a secretary at Brown and Bigelow and later Travelers Insurance.


On October 30, 1943, at St. Joseph's Church in Berkley, CA,  Margaret married  Anthony (Tony) Kluk of Brook Park, MN, who was stationed with the U.S. Army in Berkley, CA.  Following her marriage Margaret worked as a legal secretary.


After WWII, Margaret  and Tony bought a farm near Brook Park where they established a small dairy operation and raised seven children. Life on the farm was labor intensive for Margaret as she helped with farm chores as well as raising and preserving most of the food for her family.   She was a loving mother devoted to her family and her Catholic faith.  Along with family duties, she was also a 4-H Leader for many years.  A strong advocate for education, Margaret was very proud of the fact that all her children received  an education beyond high school.  In later years, she worked as a home health aide in the Brook Park area and then became a secretary for the Pine County Nursing Service in Pine City.  After Tony passed away in 2002, Margaret made the difficult transition from farm to city and moved to Forest Lake to be near family.


Margaret had many interests. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and raising flowers indoors and outdoors.  She liked to travel and enjoyed going to Rome, Italy to see the Ordination of her son, David by Pope John Paul II.


She is preceded in death by 5 siblings, Anthony, Barbara (Pirkl) Quiding, Lawrence, Bernadine and Sr. Dorothy; husband Anthony; son Daniel; 3 grandchildren, Erin, Andrea and Robert Kluk; and daughter-in-law Karen (Ploub) Kluk.  She is survived by seven children, Anthony (Kathy), Mary (Peter) Zarembo, Donald (Carol), Richard, Robert (Carolyn), Fr. David and Jane (Danny) Harrell; 16 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren; devoted neice Margaret Hughes; sister-in-law Julia (Kluk) Hermann of Pine City, brother-in-law Henry Kluk of Milwaukee, WI; and other extended family.


Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 a.m., Monday, August 24, 2009 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 203 Lawler Ave. S., Hinckley. Visitation 4-7:00 p.m. Sunday, August 23, 2009 at Mattson Funeral Home, 343 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake with Rosary Service at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to Mass Monday at church. Interment in Brook Park Cemetery.


Memorials honoring Margaret may be directed to The Legionaries of Christ, attn: Fr. David Kluk, 595 Spalding Drive, Atlanta, GA 30350, or, Leukemia-Lymphoma Society MN chapter, 8441 Wayzata Blvd. Suite 340, Golden Valley, MN 55426