Margaret B. Jost

Margaret B. Jost, 98, of Rock Falls, Iowa passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. A celebration of life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at Old Stone Methodist Church in Rock Falls, Iowa, with Pastor Lumiere Kapend officiating. Visitation will be held the night prior, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, September 11, 2026 at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N Pennsylvania Ave, Mason City, Iowa. Inurnment will follow the service at the Rock Falls Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the family.

To watch Margaret's service, click here: Margaret Jost's Celebration of Life

Margaret Blanche Mathews was born June 4, 1928 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the eldest of four children to George and Francis (Low) Mathews. The family would soon move down to Iowa, where Margaret graduated from Mason City High School.

Margaret was an extremely sociable person, from her younger years all the way into her old age. After high school, she enjoyed going dancing on the weekends. It was at one of these dances at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake that she met her future husband, Dean Jost. The pair were soon engaged, and married on November 5, 1950 at the Old Stone Methodist Church in Rock Falls, just prior to Dean’s deployment in the Korean War. After his discharge, the pair would be blessed with four children and an ever-expanding circle of friends and extended family. Margaret and Dean remained inseparable for over 55 years, until Dean’s death in 2005.

Margaret worked full time for the Globe Gazette until her first daughter, Diane, was born. She then moved to part-time work until all four children had completed elementary school, at which point she returned to full time work at the Globe, where she continued her employment for 41 years.

Margaret’s outgoing and active lifestyle kept her busy with her friends, family, and wider community, and all came to appreciate the time and effort she would spend on them. She was known for the birthday cards she sent to friends and family year after year, writing over two hundred annually. Margaret excelled in cake decoration as well, first for birthdays but later expanding into wedding cakes, for anyone who asked. She played cards in many clubs, and was part of a bowling league with her mother, daughters, and friends. After retirement, Margaret kept a full schedule of breakfasts and lunches with friends, assisting her more elderly friends in whatever way she could, and keeping strong the connection she and Dean had formed with the Old Stone Church in their younger years. Her care and generosity, love and hospitality reached far and wide, touching a great many lives and sure to be missed by them all.

Margaret is survived by her children, Diane Beverly, Ronald (Barbara) Jost, Pamela Jost, and Lori Ann Jost; siblings, Mary Koerber and George (Pam) Mathews Jr.; grandchildren, Melissa (Jason) Brannen, Brian Beverly, Sarah Jost, Ashley Jost, Ronald Jost II, and Jade (Jake) Miller; 8 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild; sister-in-laws, Donna Miller, Linda (Cliff) Weatherwax, and Julie (Roger) Haugen; and a great many nieces, nephews, and other extended family members.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dean; parents, George and Francis Mathews; parents-in-law, August and Caroline Jost; sister, Dorothy Wetter and her husband Gerald; son-in-law, Paul Beverly; brother-in-laws, Leo Jost and wife Karen, and Jerry Koerber; her sister-in-law’s husband, John Miller, and extended family and friends.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt gratitude to her caregivers, Ashley Groves, Cari Wittman, and Kelly Neuberger, as well as to her hospice nurse, Darla, and the rest of her care team for the excellent service provided by St. Croix Hospice and Cornerstone Caregiving.