Margaret Joan (Cameron) Gowin

Margaret Joan (Cameron) Gowin, born March 1, 1927, to Arthur and Grace (Patton) Cameron, passed February 28, 2024, a couple of days shy of her 97th birthday. She was a loving wife, loyal older sister, and capable and adoring matriarch.

Margaret saw the specialness in everyone. Taking the Golden Rule to heart, she was truly a mother to the world and was gracious to her last breath.

She was Winterset High School's homecoming queen in 1944 and graduated in 1945. She married Howard Gowin on September 21, 1947.

Each morning she flew the American flag on her flag pole and closed the day with the evening news. She loved decorating for holidays, hosting celebrations, and sending cards. Her loved ones received many sweet notes with heartfelt wishes and loving encouragement. She celebrated the underdog and cheered for her loved ones’ wins with a bright “Good for you!”

Margaret enjoyed travel. As a teen, she traveled with the Rural Youth Program.
She took frequent weekend excursions and summer trips to national parks and historical sites. She and her husband took many car trips, and bus tours, and visited Chile, Canada, England, and Germany.

She generously shared her most valuable assets, her time and talents, through volunteering for over 7 decades. She became a proud leading member of Lions International, once a men-only organization, and received the Warren Coleman Award twice. She served in 4-H, the Des Moines VA, Saint Anthony's Hospital Guild in Carroll, New Hope Village, the American Heart Association, and the United Methodist Church.

With a keen eye for detail, she worked for Augustine & Co CPA, Dallas County Treasurer’s Office, and Olsen Muhlbauer Mahoney & Co CPAs. She retired at 75 and moved to Altoona, Iowa, closer to her children and grandchildren.

Margaret rests in a justly earned place in heaven. Her family and friends continue to spread the love and joy she brought to the world.

Margaret is survived by her children, Cara Stewart, Gisele (Jim) Duehring and Dana Howard (Meta) Gowin; grandchildren, Amy (Fiancé, Dan), Don (Jill), Ellie (Brock), Jason (Kim), Cierra and Aurora; great-grandchildren, Andrew David and Bonnie Lee; siblings, Barbara Lightner, Beverly Fenimore and Rex (Sharon) Cameron; sisters-in-law, Ruth Cameron and Carol Cameron. Exchange students, Ania Zambra (Chile), Uwe Oestreicher (Germany), and Margareth Alencar (Brazil). Also, a host of nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Howard Gowin; infant children, Ann Gowin and Craig Gowin; parents, Grace and Arthur Cameron; brothers, Robert (Lorraine) Cameron, Phillip Cameron, and Ray Cameron; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Herb (Fran) Gowin, Evelyn (Bill) Ford, Don Lightner and Jay Fenimore and son-in-law, Ron Stewart.

The family will greet guests on Monday, March 4, 2024, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., at Hamilton’s Altoona Funeral Home, 105 4th Street S.W., Altoona, Iowa. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., at Altoona Methodist Church, 602 5th Ave., Altoona, Iowa. Burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery in Madison County.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Altoona Lions Club, Union Park Carousel, or Iowa Public Television in loving memory of Margaret.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.hamiltonsfuneralhome.com

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