Margaret Foster Jorn

1959 - 2017

Harlingen - Margaret Foster Jorn (Meg) went to the Lord Wednesday morning, September 13, 2017. Meg was born in the Marine Corp Hospital, Quantico, Virginia on November 20, 1959; the first daughter of Roger and Linda Foster (nee Fessenden). Meg grew up on the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, reared by Roger Foster and stepmom Beverly Foster alongside her blended family of sisters Natalie Foster (Tally) and Heidi (Shakti) von Zweck, her brothers Peter and Tim von Zweck and youngest brother Jerry Foster. Meg graduated from Harwich High School where she shined in academics, track and field, field hockey, and basketball, along with the drive and determination that everyone knows of Meg.

Fate brought the Foster Family to The Woodlands, Texas and Meg went on to attend and graduate from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983 with a degree in Interior Design and a secondary honorary degree in Drive and Determination. Austin is where Meg met her soulmate / life mate Bill. They were married in 1985.

Her trail lead to Salisbury, Maryland where she worked as an Interior Designer and as an Intern at an Architectural firm. Salisbury is where her twins Nathalie Grace (Tally) and William Austin (Austin) were born early, to no one's surprise (i.e. drive and determination). It was in Salisbury that Meg's love of long distance running was born, as well. During her years in Salisbury Meg began her love affair with marathons, (over 25 in total) including The Boston Marathon, the New York Marathon, the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C., Grandma's Marathon, San Diego, Austin, Houston.... You get the idea.

In 1994 Meg, Bill, Tally and Austin relocated to Harlingen, TX where her third child Erik Foster Jorn was born. It was here that Meg, with her degree in Drive and Determination, was resolute to become an Architect. In between working long hours as an Interior Designer, caring for three children and making sure she got in her daily exercise, Meg managed to accomplish her goal. She put the kids to bed at 9 pm and then studied through the night. She studied countless hours in and around her family's schedule. She slept little but gained much and after several years and eight board exams, Meg was finally rewarded with her Architecture Certification / License, well deserved and not a surprise with her post-doctoral work in Drive and Determination. Meg could and did anything she put her mind to. Her fourth birth produced Megamorphosis, her Architectural firm and her dream from childhood come true.

Meg was a dynamo. She worked countless hours building her firm, Megamorphosis, running the roads and raising her beloved family. She moved her office out of the house to a space on Harrison and then to a space in Stone Court. Her car was parked out front many evenings way past dark, as she was dedicated to perfection and success. She "morphed" with partner and collaborator John Pearcy in 2004. Meg and John worked hard, smart and with style. In 2012, they purchased their Downtown building located at 324 W. Van Buren. Meg and John restored and beautified downtown Harlingen with their talent for design and style and a building, which proudly displays the name, Megamorphosis (or maybe D2 for drive and determination). Some of Megamorphosis and Meg's beloved projects were Harlingen Pediatrics, Texas Regional Bank, the "Reese" (a downtown building that she restored), Colletti's Italian Restaurant, the HCISD Performing Art Center, Harlingen Fire Station/911 call center, to name a few. But she felt her most special accomplishment was the Art Installation in downtown Harlingen where Meg had wanted to make something very special up to and including importing art from Los Angeles. To beautify the Harlingen Community was a passion.

Through it all Meg and Bill raised three beautiful children / people, Austin, Tally and Erik, who all have succeeded at being responsible, educated, healthy and giving, just as Meg was. To live around Meg was to live around success and determination. Of all of Meg's countless accomplishments (drive and determination), her children were by far her proudest. Meg and Bill loved to travel together and traveled throughout Europe, South America, Mexico, the Western United Sates and Hawaii. Bill and Meg had special memories that the two cherished; driving throughout Mexico (when you could), hiking in Utah's National Parks, experiencing the mystical at Machu Picchu, bicycling in Germany and in true Meg style a 100-mile bike race in England (did we mention drive and determination).

Meg is preceded in death by her father, Roger Foster; her mom, Linda Foster; her stepmom, Beverly Foster; and her father-in-law, Bob Jorn.

She is survived by her loving husband of 32 years, Bill Jorn; her children, Austin, Tally and Erik Jorn; her mother-in-law, Delores Pranke; her stepmother-in-law, Janie Jorn; her brothers, Peter (Maureen) Von Zweck of Beverly, MA; Tim (Kristin) Von Zweck of San Diego, CA; Jerry Foster of the Woodlands, TX; sisters Tally Weber (Dave) of San Diego, CA; Shakti Shivaya of California; sister-in-law, Merrilee Jorn of Tampa, FL; and brother-in-law, Errol Jorn of Sacramento, CA.

Meg loved the color purple, Irises, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Greg Allman, dancing the Bump to "Brick House", Starbucks, hot salsa, her dogs, ocelots, her running and biking network, her special girlfriends, her Community, her Megamorphosis family, her Foster / von Zweck / Jorn Family, her wonderful children and she loved that guy Bill.

The Lord isn't here to take anyone; the Lord is here to give us strength when we lose someone. We look forward to and accept that strength for we have lost one of the best. But hear us Lord, you have one coming in Meg. She's going to rearrange the house, detail it in purple and infect all of Heaven with Drive and Determination.

A Celebration of Meg's life will be held at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 1417 E. Austin, Ave., Harlingen, TX, 2:00 P.M., Monday, September 18, 2017 with a reception following at The Reese (Colleti's) 202 S. 1st St. also in Harlingen.

Everyone who knew Meg knew she loved the color purple, so in her honor we ask you wear something purple.

The family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Harlingen Wellness Coalition, 323 E. Jackson, Harlingen, TX 78550.

You are invited to sign the guestbook or share a memory at www.buckashcraft.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of Buck Ashcraft Funeral Home.