 It was only in her last few
weeks that she was not herself most of the time -- only some of the
time. She would have turned 97 on Dec. 2.
Her visitation and funeral service at St. Patrick's Church in
Elkhart was attended by scores and scores -- no doubt one of the
largest for anyone at or near her age -- not just former students
and fellow teachers, but also many friends and acquaintances.
Dean Petticord remarked: "We lost a fountain of knowledge."
Dick Romer said: "I never heard anyone say anything bad about her
all these years."
A poem that she selected many years ago was read at her request
at the close of the service. (Click
here to see poem manuscript.)
The following announcement was made at the close of the service:
A replication of Mrs. Lanterman's third-grade school room may be
seen on the second floor in the Mount Pulaski Township Historical
Museum. This room contains two short rows of inkwell desks, wall
hangings of Presidents Lincoln and Washington, scores of books and
texts -- some dating back to the late 1800s, a Cornland school milk
cart used for nutrition breaks, and a slate board on which are her
last writings: a math problem from a 1867 math text, a spring poem
from an unknown source (a book in the room somewhere), and an
Illinois Bird Count announcement (she was an Illinois Audubon
member). These slate-board writings -- in her always-beautiful
Palmer cursive writing -- were changed seasonally. She would climb
the 27 steps to this second-story level to work in the room, which
she helped create along with Betty Hickey, her longtime close
friend.
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This room has been dedicated to Margaret Lanterman. Although 99.9
percent of us will never have any public place or thing dedicated to
us, she has, and she helped create it as well. She only stopped
climbing those steps to work in the room less than four years ago --
at 92-plus.
___
Pictures of school room
Margaret Lanterman obituary
[Text from file received from Phil Bertoni]
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