MARGARET WILLMS, mother, nurse, midwife and Mennonite Central Committee worker, died on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at the Coaldale Hospital after a battle with cancer at the age of 77 years. Margaret was born on June 21, 1933 near Crystal Lake, Alberta. She was the eighth of Abram and Susanna Willms’ eleven children. A midwife estimated her birth weight at 12 pounds. From the beginning, Margaret seemed unafraid to be uniquely herself. One of her sisters recalls she was the only sister who would dare risk angering her father. She would grumble and chide him for tramping on the floor with dirty boots after she mopped it. After her parents bought the family farm near Coaldale, she went to school and graduated there. She completed her training as a registered nurse at the Galt School of Nursing, Lethbridge. She went on to finish studies as a midwife in Winnipeg. In the 1960s, Margaret was an MCC nurse in Mexico and Bolivia where she performed general medical duties including delivering babies, immunizing and helping children with serious, treatable ailments. In the absence of doctors, Bolivian patients referred to Margaret and her fellow nurses as “doctora,” although she and the others always explained they were not doctors. Later she was a nurse in a remote community in northern Manitoba, where she was again put in the position of carrying out life-saving care in the absence of physicians. Should she treat a patient herself (guided by a doctor over the phone) or get him onto a plane to the nearest hospital? In 1973 Margaret adopted one-year-old Emily and brought her back to live with her in Coaldale. Margaret’s focus changed. Emily was the family she wanted and loved. From then until she retired in the mid-1990’s, Margaret worked as a nurse at the obstetrics and gynecology ward in Lethbridge. Margaret survived two accidents and breast cancer. In August 1995, Margaret and Emily were injured at a crosswalk in Coaldale and Margaret spent many months in intensive care. A doctor credited her recovery to her family’s love. Margaret expressed surprise at the love others showed her. Cancer was discovered again in early 2010. Margaret is survived and missed by her beloved daughter Emily, four sisters, 27 nieces and nephews and their families, two brothers-in-law and three sisters-in-law. A Funeral Service will be held at the COALDALE MENNONITE CHURCH, 2316 - 17th Street, Coaldale on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider giving either to cancer research or to the Mennonite Central Committee. Honoured to serve the family, CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORIUM, 2800 Mayor Magrath Drive South, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 7B1. Telephone (403) 381-7777. E-mail: care@cornerstonefh.ca