A tremendous hole was left in the community last week with the passing of Marge Francois, a kind and caring woman who touched countless lives in Waterloo and beyond.

Jay Francois, with assistance from his sister Melanie, offered a brief biography for his mother.

Marge was born at Marshall Browning Hospital in DuQuoin in 1952, growing up in the country north of Pinckneyville.

Her family – including her parents and siblings Steve, Etta and Tim – lived on a small farm where they grew their own food and raised animals.

As Jay said, Marge sometimes spoke about how difficult life on the farm was – the family farmhouse had no running water –  though she never complained, simply expressing her wish that her kids never have to live like that.

Marge attended St. Mary Magdalene Elementary School in the small community of Todds Mill before moving on to Pinckneyville High School. She was active in the Catholic Youth Organization as well as 4-H.

An anecdote from Jay seems to demonstrate how Marge’s giving nature was strong even as a child.

As he described, Marge came up with an idea to organize a carnival when she was 12, charging kids in the neighborhood to play games and ultimately giving the money to charity.

While working at the bank in DuQuoin, she met her husband Mike and the two got married in 1973, staying together until he passed away due to cancer in 2012.

The couple built a house together in Sunfield just north of DuQuoin, and it was there that they raised Jay and Melanie until 2000 when Mike got a job at KMOV that led them to move to Waterloo.

Jay said Marge worked a number of jobs over the years, though she served as a realtor starting in the mid-1990s and continued for many years after.

Speaking to her character, Jay noted how he has often heard his mother described as someone who’s never met a stranger. He echoed this sentiment, suggesting that her outgoing nature and eagerness to see the best in people were likely why she excelled in realty.

He also mentioned how important family was to Marge, as she was always willing to speak about her family to anyone she could.

Jay remarked how, at the recent visitation for her, many people whom he had never met previously knew his name as well as the names of his own kids and what he did for work.

As Jay described her, Marge truly was outgoing and active in the community, becoming close friends and developing a relationship network that would suggest she’d grown up in Waterloo rather than just planting roots in 2000.

On top of being an active member of Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Waterloo, she was active in a staggering number of organizations in the community, including the Waterloo Lions Club, the VFW Auxiliary, Waterloo Listens, Waterloo Citizens for a Pool and Monroe Actors Stage Company.

MASC, along with several other groups, posted a tribute to Marge on Facebook following her passing, recognizing her service as a founding member of the organization as well as a long-time volunteer and patron.

Monroe County House of Neighborly Service similarly shared a post in her memory, saying “She was the true embodiment of service and never stopped sharing her servant’s heart… Marge is irreplaceable and will be deeply missed.”

Kelly Lerch with HNS echoed the sentiments shared by the organization.

She noted how Marge was involved with HNS from the start as it was organizing its own food pantry and assisting with the one at the Western Egyptian location in town.

Lerch pointed out how Marge was involved in many other groups besides HNS, saying that she never slowed down and was always looking for a way to give.

“She was constantly a supporter of whatever we did, any of the mission projects that we’ve done to support the community,” Lerch said.

Waterloo Citizens for a Pool similarly posted about Marge on Facebook, with the group’s president Amy Grandcolas speaking about their personal relationship as well as her involvement in WCP.

Grandcolas noted that she was a few years behind Jay in high school, and she would often see Marge around thanks to connections through her family.

They mainly got to know each other over the past few years through WCP as Marge showed great interest in the group’s mission.

She assisted in a number of ways, spreading the word in the community and recently helping WCP get space for their plastic caps collection project thanks to her involvement with the Lions Club.

As Grandcolas noted, Marge was interested in getting the community a pool given that she herself didn’t know how to swim.

“Not only to benefit the community and be a place for people to come together but because she thought it was so important for kids to learn and not be scared of the water,” Grandcolas said. “She wanted the youth to have that lifesaving skill and be able to enjoy the water and not be scared as she was. She was always thinking of making things better for other people.”

A number of her friends with the Lions Club also had kind things to say about Marge.

Luanne Ragland recounted how she came to know Marge as her realty lady when she moved to the community 22 years ago.

They, along with their husbands, became close friends, spending time together along with some other couples. After their husbands passed away, they stayed close as they got together to play cards.

“She was a very caring person, and she liked to help people,” Ragland said. “She was a good friend. I’ll miss her. I enjoyed the times that we had together.”

Ken Jackson emphasized her contributions to the Lions Club as well as the VFW.

“I always appreciated Marge,” Jackson said. “Everything she took on, she done a good job at it. And we’re gonna miss her.”

Another of Marge’s friend, Amanda Chase, also spoke about the many ways she was involved in the community.

Chase noted how Marge helped organize an annual event in recognition of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, with this year’s celebration being the “Give Peace a Dance” event hosted by Human Support Services.

Marge also helped coordinate International Day of Peace events, introducing the City of Waterloo to the Charter for Compassion and generally pursuing a number of social justice initiatives.

Chase also emphasized Marge’s relationships with her friends.

“Marge always put her friends before herself,” Chase said. “Marge’s servant-heart inspired countless others to respond in kind.”

Those friends of Marge mentioned are no doubt just a few of those who could offer kind words in her honor, and she leaves fond memories with so many more.

For a full obituary, click here.