Margo Mary (McCarten) Eckman

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Eckman, Margo Mary (McCarten) of Minneapolis died on March 15, 2017, in Boulder, Colorado, due to complications following hip surgery. She was 97. Beloved wife of the late Judge C. Luther Eckman of Duluth, Margo is survived by their three children, Steve, Wendy and Nancy, as well as seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Margo was born in Great Falls, Montana, on December 20, 1919, the only child of Dr. Robert E. and Ann Rohr (Shannon) McCarten. Margo grew up and attended school in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the shadow of her beloved Wasatch Mountains. She learned to ski in high school, and pursued that sport well into her 80's. She attended the University of Utah and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. In 1940 Margo enrolled at The Mayo Clinic's Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester, Minnesota, where she earned her Registered Nursing Degree. She took a special interest in pediatrics and wartime reconstructive plastic surgery. Margo maintained a life-long connection with the Clinic, her fellow nurses, and generations of Mayo physicians. Margo returned to Salt Lake City as a registered nurse. She met a young lawyer from Duluth assigned to Army Intelligence. Sometimes Margo accompanied him on rides into the Utah deserts when Japanese hot air balloons, suspected of carrying germ warfare, had been sighted. In 1944, she and Luther (Lute) Eckman married and they moved to Duluth. Lute's family, a large, close-knit Swedish, Lutheran clan must have been a startling contrast to her upbringing, but she loved being one of "the gang." Lute practiced law in the west end, and eventually became a distinguished District Court Judge. She and Luther were members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Duluth for over forty years. Margo volunteered as a Brownie leader for Girl Scouts, was a member of several organizations including Duluth Woman's Club, College Club, PEO, PTA and as an RN, she volunteered at UMD giving physicals and vaccinations. She loved learning and studied Spanish, audited history, medicine, literature, philosophy, ancient civilizations, the Civil War, religion, biology classes at UMD and took radio correspondence courses. In 1983, Luther and she moved permanently into a condominium on the 20th floor in downtown Minneapolis, where she lived until she died. After her husband's death in 1987, Margo became a traveler, often going alone. Whether climbing ruins in Central America, riding camels in Africa, crawling pyramids in Egypt, or strolling the night streets of Hong Kong, Margo was known byand made friends with everyone. The defining characteristic of Margo Eckman was her remarkable interest in making friends with strangers. She would often talk to strangers, people at bus stops, diners at an adjoining table, or seat-mates on long-haul flights. Many of these strangers became life-long friends of Margo. To the end, Margo struggled to maintain complete independence, despite the infirmities of age. Margo was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, Dr. Robert Emmet McCarten and Ann Rohr Shannon Francis, her cherished step-father, Fred Francis, her step-brother Dr. Fredric Francis (Mildred), her brothers-and-sisters-in law, Dr. Philip F. Eckman (Hildur), R. Vern Eckman (Hildur), Edith Eckman Anderson (Frank), and Dr. Ralph J. Eckman (Irene). She was also preceded in death by numerous beloved nieces and nephews. She is survived by her three children, Stephen S. Eckman (Linda), Wendy Eckman, Nancy Eckman Clanton, and six grandchildren, Britt Clanton (Rebecca), Anders C. Eckman, Dr. Leigh Clanton Hickerson (Jay), Elizabeth K. Eckman, Shannon Eckman (Steven), William T. Weil (Nicollet), Lukas Eckman Weil, and two great grandchildren, Lane Clanton and Maya Hickerson. She is also survived by nephews and nieces Dr. Philip L. Eckman (Julie), Barbara Eckman Krig, Suzanne Anderson Lund, Joanne Anderson Linnes, Dr. Mathew Eckman (Kay), Dr. Mark Eckman (Mary), Louise Eckman Engstrom, Pauline Anderson Dee (Richard,) Margaret Eckman Anderson (Rich) and James H. Francis. Services for Margo Eckman will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2017, at Westminster Presbyterian Church Minneapolis, starting at 1:00 o'clock to greet the family, followed by a a memorial service in the chapel at 1:30 p.m. Reception to follow at the church. Memorials preferred to the Eckman Family Fund at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, 56082.

Published on April 23, 2017