Obituary of Margie Balkema

Margie Balkema (born Mary Margaret Maxwell) of Merritt Island Florida passed from this earth April 14, 2021, at 80+ years of age.

She was born in Lafayette Indiana in 1940, delivered by the same doctor as her husband Duane, 11 days before him.  She and Duane were married for 62 years and had two daughters, Kimberly Jo born in Florida in 1963 and Natalie Jill born in California in 1967. In the 1960s Margie helped build prototype Microdot and Ceramic Wafers for CTS Research that were part of the first space launches, and some of the parts she made are still in orbit.

The young family moved to Miami Florida in 1969, then to Saudi Arabia in 1976, when Duane worked for an airline company. Margie greatly enjoyed living overseas, she was well known for her fun parties, and enjoyed extensive travel with both family and her lady friends, often flying to places like Pakistan, Korea, London and Paris.

Margie and Duane also lived in Abu Dhabi U.A.E. for 20 months, where she acquired an Arabic driver's license, found the best shopping and tailors in town, and made many trips back to USA to visit with her daughters, who were now in college.

In 1988, Margie and Duane moved to Merritt Island, where she became a realtor and an enthusiastic member of the Cocoa Beach Sail and Power Squadron, where her decorations for their many social events earned rave reviews.  She loved taking cruises, boating, sailing, walking on the beach, and playing with her two grandchildren Anna and Nicole, now 25 and 22.

Margie has a surviving older sister, Betty Maxwell Middleton.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy and Arthur Maxwell, her brother Bill, and her sister Pat.

Margie wanted no fuss or memorial services at her death, but all of those who knew her, celebrate her zest for life. She will be sorely missed.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Margie Balkema, please visit Tribute Store