Margaret M. Bilsten

Margaret Marie (Hammer) Bilsten, age 88, of Manning, Iowa, loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, left this world on Friday, January 20, 2017 at the Good Samaritan Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, January 27, 2017 at Zion Lutheran Church in Manning with Pastor Jonathan Conner officiating. Organist for the service will be Carolyn Kerkhoff. Visitation will be held at the Church for one hour prior to the service. Casket bearers will be Margaret’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Burial will be in the Manning Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Manning and online condolences may be left for Margaret’s family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com Margaret was born to Louie and Hilda Hammer on August 20, 1928 in Manning, Iowa and she was blessed by the love of her family and friends in the Manning area throughout her life. Margaret demonstrated the values of dedication, integrity, and positive customer service in the workplace as an employee at The Manning Creamery and at Manning Trust and Savings. As a life-long member of Zion Lutheran Church, Margaret gained strength from her faith throughout her life, during her recent health concerns and especially while rooting for The Chicago Cubs. An avid baker, Margaret enjoyed creating delicious desserts and sharing them with family and friends. Margaret Bilsten was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Louie Hammer and Russell Hammer, and her sisters Ruth (Hammer) Jensen, Delores Hammer, Florence (Hammer) Christiansen and Dorothy (Hammer) Grundmeier. Margaret is survived by her children Michael Bilsten and wife Dawn of Houston, Texas and Cindy (Bilsten) Fitts of Brandon, South Dakota, grandchildren Andrea (Bilsten) Pratt and husband Shane of Cedar Park, Texas, Beau Fitts and wife Brooke of Brandon, South Dakota, Coty (Fitts) McGuire and husband Brian of Brandon, South Dakota and Taylor Fitts of Sioux Falls, South Dakota as well as her six great-grandchildren, Kennedy, Kelby and Kash Fitts, Logan and Maddyn McGuire, Peyton Pratt and her many beloved nieces and nephews.