Margaret a resident of Blue Springs, MO passed away peacefully Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at Cross Creek Lee’s Summit Memory Care and Assisted Living. She was born August 15, 1933 to Roy and Bessy (Register) Higgs in Hardin, MO.
She was married to Marvin Eugene O’Dell on May 11, 1949. To their union was born 5 children, Vickie, Peggy, Kevin, Eric, and DeeDra. In 1974 on February 1, Margaret was united in marriage to Richard J. Nedwed on February 1, 1974. One of Margaret’s greatest accomplishments was graduating from Tarkio College in 1989 with her Bachelor of Science degree at 55 years old. Margaret had a deep love for God and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Blue Springs. She enjoyed giving back and helpings other and volunteered at Impact Food Ministries up until she was 86 years old. Margaret was a proud Grandmother to 26 grandchildren, and 41 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great grandchildren. She was a proud and loving wife, mother, and grandmother and enjoyed every minute she shared with the ones she loved.
Survived by her daughter and children, DeeDra O’Dell of Blue Springs, MO, Matthew O’Dell of Blue Springs, MO, and Lynne O’Dell of Blue Springs, MO; stepchildren, Ronald Nedwed (Sandy) of Waverly, KS, Tim Nedwed (Sabrina) of Houston, TX, Kim Hancock of Lansing, KS; daughters in law, Cheryl O’Dell of Grain Valley, MO, Leatha O’Dell of Delta, CO, son-in-law, Jim Sherrill of Blue Springs, MO; 26 grandchildren, and 41 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great grandchildren. Margaret is preceded in death by her husband, Richard Nedwed; children, Vickie Creekmore, Peggy Sherrill, Kevin O’Dell, Eric O’Dell; siblings, Melvina VanWart and Melvin Leach; and parents, Roy and Bessy Higgs.
Funeral arrangements for 89-year-old Margaret Nedwed have been set for Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Visitation will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Blue Springs, First Baptist Church of Blue Springs, 4500 Little Blue Parkway, Independence, MO. Funeral service will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the church. A committal service will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville, MO. The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Impact Ministries. Meyers Funeral Chapel in Blue Springs has been entrusted with arrangements. Memories of Margaret and words of comfort for her family may be shared at meyersfuneralchapel.com
What I wrote for my Grandma’s service.
Good morning. I want to start off by taking the opportunity to say say thank you to everyone
who is here today. It means a lot to me, my family, and I know grandma would have been
thrilled to see all of us here together, in one of her favorite places, celebrating her life and her
90th birthday, which is what I hope today can be – a celebration. While there is a tremendous
amount of sadness and grief for the amazing woman that we have lost, I know she would want us
to celebrate the life she lived and find peace in knowing that she is in a much better place,
reunited with God, her husband, and her children that she so deeply loved. So again, thank you
for being here for her celebration.
Now, to the hard part, how do you summarize almost 90 years of life that this incredible woman,
our grandma, lived? People often tell stories about how their great their grandma is, but I am
here to say that mine was the best. There is truly no one like Margaret Allen Nedwed. There
wasn’t a person that met her that didn’t fall in love with her including those who met her in her
final days after learning about her and all she’s been through. Grandma was equal parts kind and
fierce, hardworking, generous, loving, full of life, strong, and someone I looked to for guidance,
wisdom, support, and unconditional love. My grandma was everything to me and we became
extremely close over the past 10 years. I will never forget coming home from college and staying
at her house. We would stay up late and I’d listen to stories of her life and wake up the next
morning drinking coffee and picking up right where we left off. There’s so much to say and
stories to tell, but I want to use this time to share the lessons that her life and the way she lived
have taught me. My hope is that we can each, implement these lessons into our own lives to
honor her life and memory so that a piece of Grandma will always live on for the rest of our
days.
Lesson #1 – “We have to work and work hard”
This was a phrase my grandma often said when I told her I had to work late, on the weekends or
drive to work in the snow. Grandma was born in 1933, a time when hard work was necessary for
survival. She learned the concept of hard work from a young age, and this carried through with
her even to her later years. Grandma was married at the age of 16 and by the age of 25, had 4
children so Grandma was no stranger to working hard to provide for her family. She worked long
hours waiting tables to put food on the table and make ends meet. Eventually, she transitioned to
working at Pfizer, where she spent over 25 years before retiring. Grandma wasn’t always
superwoman though and needed rest too. She would tell us that at Pfizer, only smokers got
breaks, so she would often fake being a smoker with a cigarette in hand, pretending to take puffs
so she could have those 30 minutes of rest.
But during her time at Pfizer, an opportunity arose for her to pursue her bachelor’s degree. When
she began her coursework, she was criticized by her employer saying “There’s no reason for you
to get your degree. Why would you do that?” Grandma always told me, “I did it for me and no
one else. I wanted that diploma and I worked hard for it.” She never let her age or stereotypes
define her. Grandma set forth her own path, always, and at the age of 55 graduated with her
bachelor’s of science from Tarkio College. It was something she always so proud of.
Even in the past year, Grandma was known for her eagerness to work hard. She was in physical
therapy working to keep her strength and her therapists constantly told me how much she loved
physical therapy because it gave her an opportunity to work hard at something meaningful. I was
told often, “We wish all our patients worked as hard as Margaret” and that is something she will
always be remembered for.
Lesson #2 – Love comes in second chances.
While my grandma’s first marriage brought her one of her biggest joys in life, her children, I
don’t believe she truly started living until she met my Grandpa, Richard Nedwed, who I’m sure
is giving her the hardest time up in Heaven at the moment. You can see the pure joy on each of
their faces in their wedding photos as they were drinking what I assume to be Grandma’s
favorite, Shirley Temples. Their smiles show a happiness like no other. Grandma took pride in
being a mother of 5 and Richard blessed her with an additional 3 stepchildren to whom she loved
dearly and treated as her own. & while they didn’t have children together, the two of them raised
Matthew who was truly, the light of their life. Grandma and Grandpa loved to travel and fly in
Grandpa’s plane. It was one of her favorite things to talk about – all the places they went,
memories made, showing off the photos they took, but most of all the incredible 42 years they
shared together. My grandma was unwavering in her dedication to my grandpa up until the day
he passed – caring for him throughout his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and never letting him forget
who she was or the love she had for him. The deep love and devotion they had for one another
was beautiful and showed that love comes in second chances… if you let it.
Lesson #3 – Give Graciously.
2 Corinthians 9 says, “God is able to graciously provide you with everything, so that you will
always have all you need—with plenty to help others too.” This verse I believe, perfectly
describes the way Grandma lived her life. She didn’t come from much so as she grew older, she
wanted to help others in any way she could. This church was one of her favorite places and
Impact Ministries was blessed to have her as a dedicated volunteer for over 20 years. She
volunteered up until COVID, at the age of 86 years old. This time of year was always her
favorite as she got to help prepare backpacks filled with school supplies for children going back
to school. She wanted to make a difference in the life of others and show love to those who
needed it most but never expected anything in return. That was the type of person she was, an
easy giver but a difficult receiver. She was by far, the hardest person to buy a gift for because in
her eyes, she had everything she needed. It was more than likely, the gift you gave her ended up
in the hands of someone else, because that was her spirit, to give graciously and give without
question.
Lesson #4 – Love them anyway.
Grandma had opinions and boy, did she let you know them. Two things about her; she was never
afraid to speak her mind and when she loved, she loved unconditionally. There was nothing
Grandma wouldn’t do for her family and the people she loved. She was always there to support
you in a time of a need, no questions asked. She was our family’s rock and the one to always
bring us together whether it was at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Family Reunions, or Birthday
Celebrations, she knew how to make everyone feel loved, accepted, and appreciated. She may
have disagreed with our opinions or the choices we made, and she sure let us know, but she
loved us anyway. Through challenges, downfalls, and low points we’ve all had, she loved us
anyway and was always there to help pick up the pieces. So, in your next argument,
disagreement, or dispute, remember to love like Grandma and love them anyway.
The Final Lesson, Lesson #5 – Find joy amidst sorrow.
The past seven years were some of what I believe to be Grandma’s most difficult. Losing four of
her children, the love of her life, & towards the end, her memory and physical health. She was
truly the strongest person I know. She survived so much in her life – pain, suffering, struggle,
obstacles and had every reason to be resentful or live in sadness but most days, she would look to
find joy. Joy in the little things like spending time with family, singing her favorite songs,
reading a good book, watching one of her many crime shows, or eating one or maybe two of her
favorite desserts. She knew God had a plan for her life and trusted in that and him,
wholeheartedly. & while I sit here in my own sadness and grief, missing her and her infectious
smile and personality, I find joy in knowing that I was able to spend the last two weeks of her
life with her ensuring that she felt nothing but comfort, love, and support including the moments
leading to her last breath. I will continue to find joy in knowing that she is with those she loves,
no longer in pain, body whole, and she will always be here with us to remind of us of these
lessons.
As I said earlier, everyone talks about how their grandma is great, but mine was truly the best of
the best. She is a big reason I am the person I am today. She was endlessly encouraging, loving,
caring, and present in my life. To lose her is to lose a piece of who I am, though I know she will
always be with us in spirit. Thank you once again for being here today, and as she always said to
us, we will now say to her on her 90th birthday, “Have a blessed blessed day.”