Margaret Ann Enger

Margaret Ann (Tronstad) Enger, 64, of Fort Shaw, a wife, mother and bible teacher, passed away on Monday, January 21, 2013 after a two and a half year struggle with cancer. Services will be held on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 11:00 am at the Fort Shaw Bible Church with burial to follow at Sun River Cemetery. Margaret was born in Baker, Montana on May 23, 1948 to Richard and Fern (Norris) Tronstad. During the first two years of her life she lived in a sod house. Then, she and her parents moved to a Sears pre-fab “shotgun” style house that cost $1500. It had a propane refrigerator and stove. In the fall of 1954 her family moved to Fort Shaw and lived in a farm house her father had built. Margaret went to school in the Sun River Valley, including high school at Simms, where she met her future husband, Duane Enger. They did not marry until June 19, 1971 after she had graduated with a teaching degree from Eastern Montana College in Billings (in 3 ½ years) and taught for one and a half years. Margaret was a teacher all her life, starting with elementary grades in various rural communities in Montana and then taught Good News Club in Billings. Later, she homeschooled her two daughters and was a teacher at Billings Christian School. After she moved back to Fort Shaw, she taught in the AWANA program at the Fort Shaw Bible Church. She had a deep appreciation for how important it is to teach children about the Bible and considered this a calling. In addition to teaching, Margaret loved to wear fancy hats (her favorite one purchased on a trip to the French Riviera). She was also an enthusiastic planner. She bought and managed several rental properties, as well as effectively managed the family finances. Her daughter, Sara Enger, once said “Mom without her calculator is like John Wayne without his gun.” Margaret enjoyed canning fruits and vegetables for her family, reading, and traveling (Mediterranean cruise, Boston, New Orleans, New York City, Cancun, Puerto Vallarte, and Puerto Penasco). She and her husband, Duane, celebrated their 40th anniversary in June of 2011 by going on a cruise to Alaska. She always considered herself fortunate to have such a loving husband. Margaret is survived by her husband, Duane Enger of Fort Shaw; parents Richard and Fern Tronstad of Fort Shaw; daughters Sara Enger of Fort Shaw and Marcella Mac Donald of Sun River; son Duane (Monee) Enger, Jr. of Minneapolis, MN; sisters Janet Tronstad of Pasadena, CA and Doris Tronstad of Anchorage, AK; brothers Russell (Heidi) Tronstad of Tucson, AZ and Ralph (Karen) Tronstad of Gillette, WY; grandchildren Aurora and Orion MacDonald, Ayla, Eden, and Isaac Enger; three nieces, four nephews, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. In lieu of flowers, Margaret asked that donations be made to the Fort Shaw Bible Church AWANA program (or your local AWANA program).