Margaret Mary Thielen

Margaret Thielen passed away at the Traverse Care Center in Wheaton, Minnesota on January 11, 2025 at age 102. A funeral mass for Margaret will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Ave Maria Catholic Church in Wheaton, with Fr. John Paul Knopik officiating. Visitation will be held Friday, January 31st from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a 7:00 p.m. Prayer Service at Ave Maria Catholic Church. Visitation will continue Saturday morning one hour prior to service time at the church. Burial will be in Wildwood Cemetery, Wheaton.

Margaret was born on January 12, 1922 in Mooreton, North Dakota, as the tenth of twelve children to Albert and Alphonsine Fritz. Her family relocated to St. Cloud, MN when Margaret was very young. She made the move by train with her mother and most of her siblings, while her father and oldest brother moved the family’s possessions to their new home by horse and buggy. Margaret graduated from St. Cloud Tech high school and attended St. Cloud State Teachers College until she married Robert “Bob” Thielen on September 4, 1948. Together, Margaret and Bob had five children: sons Robert, John, and Paul, and daughters Terry and Charlet, all of whom they raised in St. Cloud. 

Margaret was a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker. Both Margaret and Bob were very active at St. Anthony Catholic School where their children attended elementary and junior high, including serving as classroom volunteers well after their children had graduated. Margaret was also the secretary to the principal of St. Anthony’s school for many years and was a long-standing member of St. Anthony’s Christian Women, including serving as president. In 1999 Margaret and Bob moved to Wheaton, MN, where they lived next door to their son Paul’s family. They became involved members of Ave Maria Catholic Church, where Margaret volunteered with the women’s circles and participated in the parish quilting group into her nineties. 

Margaret is survived by her children: Robert (Susie) Thielen of New Brighton, MN; Terry (John) MacDonald of Prior Lake, MN; John (Meg) Thielen of Jordan, MN; Charlet (Jay) Mahs of Blackduck, MN; Paul (Leah) Thielen of Wheaton, MN; sister-in-law Dolores Thielen; grandchildren: Beth (John Secord) Thielen and Jill (Hugh) O’Brien; Tricia (Jake) Swaggert, Joe (Jami) MacDonald, and Mike (Sarah Thomas) MacDonald; Jenna Mahs and Alex (Lindy) Mahs; Brita (Mark Madland) Thielen, Sam (Kassie) Thielen, Callie (Brett) Blackwelder, and Matt Thielen; Step-grandchildren: Alana (Donn Stevenson) McDevitt and Seamus (Jessica) McDevitt. She is also survived by many treasured nieces and nephews and her sixteen great-grandchildren: Logan, Claire, Ben, Brody, Callen, Everett, Cameron, Madilyn, Elijah, Hugo, Scarlett, Weston, James, Lyla, Max, and Nora. 

In death, Margaret is now reunited with her beloved husband of sixty years, Bob Thielen; her parents Albert and Alphonsine Fritz; her siblings: Alois, Arnold, Paul, Alice, Raymond, Caroline, Marcellus, Louis, Dorothy, Donald, and Richard, and their spouses; daughter-in-law Kimberly Thielen; and step-granddaughter Erin McDevitt. 

Margaret was deeply loved and will be dearly missed. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Traverse Care Center to be used for a new activities van, or the Wheaton Community Diner who provides senior meals to the Wheaton Community.